by K. J. Dahlen
Marko tried to stand up under the punishment but couldn’t. The three men didn’t stop with just their fists, they kicked him while he was down and continued to kick him senseless. It wasn’t until he was a bloody mess that they stopped.
It was still very early in the morning when Stevie came around. The sun was just peeking up over the eastern horizon. Her head now hurt along with the rest of her body. Sitting up renewed the pain but when she looked around, she found her brother sitting curled up next to her. “Benny, are you ok?”
Benny didn’t answer. He just sat there with his arms curled around his knees.
Stevie reached out to turn his face to hers. She could see the blankness in his eyes and she felt afraid for him. He seemed so out of touch at the moment and she was afraid he wouldn’t come back to her. “Benny, listen to me,” she whispered carefully. “I need you to come back to me. Please don’t leave me alone in this world. I need you so much. Please don’t check out on me.”
Benny looked blank for a while then leaned forward and tipped into her chest.
Stevie wrapped her arms around his small body and just held him for a long time.
Then after a bit, Benny pushed away from her and looked her in the eye. “As long as we stay together, neither one of us will be alone right? You’ve always been there for me since the day we first met. I’ll always stay with you.” He closed his eyes and swallowed hard. “I thought you were dead. I thought Marko killed you and I was all alone.” He raised his hand and brushed the side of her face. “There was so much blood. I didn’t know if you were still with me. I’m scared Stevie.”
“Oh Benny, I know. I’m scared too, but we can’t give up.” She grabbed her shoulder with her good hand. “Now we have to get somewhere safe and just stay there for a while.”
Benny rolled his eyes. “Is there place we can hide long enough in? Caulder is gonna be looking for us until he finds us.”
“We have to try. We can’t give up or Caulder wins and I’ll be damned if I let that bastard win. He’s already taken too much from us. I won’t give him any more.” Stevie growled. “Come on we have to get to the city and find a place to hide.”
Benny helped her as much as he could. They were both small in build but Stevie’s arm was swollen now and she was in a lot of pain, so going was slow.
CHAPTER TWO
Roman Salizar had just sat at his desk to begin going over the paperwork for payroll at the end of the week when he heard something from the other room. Frowning, he waited long enough to listen for the noise again. Checking his watch, he noted the time and knew no one else should be in the office for hours. The sun was barely up.
When he heard the sound again, he got to his feet and grabbed his weapon. He shut off the light in his office before opening the door quietly and making his way to the back of the warehouse that housed his business.
Pausing to let his eyes adjust to the dim lighting, he moved forward. His eyes swept the room again and again in search for what shouldn’t be there. His gaze moved over the shelving units but didn’t see anything amiss. Stepping further into the room, he thought he heard someone groan. Frowning, he cocked his head and tried to find where the sound came from.
Before he could take another step, something slammed him in the head and pain exploded his consciousness. He dropped to the floor.
The small boy stood over the man with a two by four in his hand.
“Oh Benny, what did you do?” Stevie whispered as she made her way to where her brother was.
Benny looked up at his sister to justify his actions. “He had a gun Stevie. We don’t know this guy and he was hunting us with a gun.”
Stevie winced as she sat down next to the man Benny just knocked out. She only had the use of one arm, so it took her a while to check the guy out but she noticed his chest rising and falling in a healthy rhythm. She touched the side of his head and when she drew her hand away, it was covered in blood.
She checked his pulse and found it weak and thready. Glancing up at Benny, she noted his worried look. “We have to get him some help.”
“We can’t get away from here if we call the police. You need rest and medical attention yourself,” Benny argued.
Stevie thought for a moment then snapped her fingers. “Maybe we don’t have to call the police. Maybe he has a friend listed on his phone.” She reached for the cell phone in his pocket. Swiping open the contact list, she pressed the first number she came to. The call rang three times before a sleepy voice asked, “Do you know what time it is Roman?”
Stevie gripped the phone in her shaky hand. “Please help your friend. He’s hurt and needs you,” she whispered before she hung up the phone.
Holding his phone Yuri frowned at it. He turned to the woman lying next to him.
“What was that all about?” Raven asked sleepily.
“Some woman called with Roman’s phone and told me he needs help,” Yuri replied. Scrambling to get out of bed, he hit a few buttons on his cell while pulling his clothes on.
When he sat down on the bed to put his shoes on, Raven wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “What can I do?”
“I don’t know. Just stay here under guard until I know what’s going on. I need you and Christopher to be safe.” Yuri peeked over his shoulder at her. “I don’t know what’s going on here yet and until I do, I need to know you and my son are safe.”
Raven nodded. “Of course.” She laid her hand on his shoulders. “But I need to know you and the others are safe too. You’re going into a situation that could be dangerous with very little information.” She kissed his back lovingly. “And despite the fact that you carry a gun and know what you’re doing, you and they are not invincible. So you make sure you come back to us.”
Yuri smiled. Patting her arm, he got to his feet. Leaning over the bed, he kissed her lips. “I’ll be back before you can even miss me.”
“Not happening, I miss you already.” Raven smiled with a worried look in her eyes. “Be careful,” she whispered as she watched him walk out the door.
Shortly after the phone call, four men met outside the building Roman owned. Yuri, Sazon, Barshan and Mikial, along with Barshan’s dog Rugar.
Yuri tried the door first but it was still locked. Inserting the key he had, he glanced over his shoulder at his brothers. “I don’t know what we’re walking into but I’m under orders to be careful, so let’s watch each other’s backs in there.”
“What exactly did this woman say?” Barshan asked with a frown.
“All she said was that Roman was hurt and needed help.” Grabbing the weapon from the small of his back Yuri moved forward. There was enough light to see by this time.
They split apart and began making their way through the outer offices to the back of the warehouse.
At first, nothing seemed out of place but within two steps into the vast room, Rugar alerted.
Everyone stopped and stared at the dog.
Barshan lifted his head and stared at Yuri.
Yuri nodded and motioned for them to be quiet with his finger over his lips, then motioned his weapon for them to cover the entire room as they moved forward.
Barshan released Rugar and he immediately crouched and moved forward slowly.
The others began searching the entire room but they all came out when Rugar barked.
They found Roman sprawled out on the floor with a pool of blood around his head and a bloody two by four lying next to his body.
Sazon knelt beside him and quickly put his gun on the floor beside his brother’s fallen body.
Yuri reached down and picked up Roman’s cell phone while Sazon checked for a pulse. About the same time, Roman groaned and tried to open his eyes.
“Stay still.” Sazon growled and he put his big hand on Roman’s chest. “I’m trying to find out how bad you’re hurt.”
“I got a headache that’s all.” Roman grunted. “Some bastard came up behind me and whacked me upside the head. Nothing more.” He sat up and
glared at the men around him. “What’s going on? How did you find out I was down?”
“I received a call from a young woman asking for help for you.” Yuri narrowed his eyes at the other man.
“What? What did you say?” Roman frowned as Barshan reached out and grabbed his hand to pull him up to his feet. Roman winced as he got to his feet and swayed slightly until he got his balance.
“I got a phone call from your phone that said you needed help,” Yuri explained. “I got the others and rushed over here to find you sprawled out on the floor. What the hell is going on?”
Roman shrugged. “I’m not sure. I thought I heard someone out here and came to investigate when someone snuck up behind me and that’s all I know.”
Suddenly, Rugar alerted again but he didn’t bark.
All five brothers became tense as they searched the darkness still in the corners of the vast room.
Yuri lifted his fingers to his lips and motioned for the men to spread out.
Rugar took off following the wall as he made his way through the far door and into another vast room. The guys followed and tightened the grip on their weapons when they heard Rugar’s growl. They found him in the far corner of the room standing over the prone body of a small figure propped up against the wall. The woman had short black hair and looked as if she’d been beaten.
Roman knelt beside her and was reaching out to touch her,
Suddenly, they heard the ominous sound of a gun trigger being pulled back into place. All five men turned their heads slowly and carefully to observe a young kid holding a gun on them.
“Don’t you hurt my sister,” the kid warned them.
Yuri watched and saw the tentative hold he had on his weapon. Yuri searched his eyes and saw the most fear he’d ever seen in his life. But he also saw determination to protect the one person he loved in his eyes. Yuri held out his hand. “No one here is going to hurt your sister.” He motioned at Sazon. “This man is just assessing her injuries, that’s all.”
Then Rugar walked over to the boy and laid his head down on the boy’s lap. The boy dropped the gun and wrapped his arms around the dog’s huge head. Without saying a word, he buried his face in the dog’s fur. “Please don’t hurt her,” he whispered. “Please don’t hurt her, she’s been hurt enough!”
Yuri bent over and picked up the gun putting it in his pocket. Cupping the boy’s chin, he raised it to his own. “What happened to you and your sister? Who beat her?” He watched as a new expression came into the boy’s eyes.
Anger and rage practically came off the boy in waves but he wouldn’t say a word. The kid jerked his chin out of Yuri’s hands and got to his feet. Stepping over the dog, he went over to where his sister was laid out on the floor. He stood there staring at her for a long time before he whispered, “Is she going to be ok?”
Sazon glanced up at the young boy. He turned back to the girl and shook his head. “She needs medical attention. Her shoulder’s a mess and she probably has a concussion from when someone pistol whipped her. She also has a bruised rib or two. Whoever worked her over did a good job.”
“Can you fix her?” the boy mumbled. Wiping the tears that rolled down his cheeks away, he told them, “She can’t go to the hospital. They’ll find her there and finish the job they started.”
“Who are they?” Roman growled as he surveyed the damage done to the small woman.
The kid pinched his lips together but wouldn’t say anything. He just glared at the group of men standing around him.
Sazon reached out and tested her shoulder flesh. It was swollen black and blue. It was cool to the touch and when his fingers slid down to her wrist, he felt the pulse strong and steady. He carefully felt the bones in her arm and noted they too, were strong. He looked up at Yuri and nodded. “It’s out of place but there are no bones broken and she has a good pulse, so her circulation is good.” Exhaling heavily he said, “I can try to put it back in place but after this long, it’s gonna hurt like hell.”
“And her head wound?” Yuri asked.
Sazon leaned over and opened her eyes. He sat back a little. “She didn’t take the blow full force but I think she was still knocked out.” He searched her carefully again. “That would explain why she’s out. Concussion can do that sometimes.”
“Can you fix her?” the kid repeated his earlier question. His rage was gone now and only worry could be seen in his eyes.
Sazon gazed at the young boy. Then he nodded slowly. He glanced over at Yuri and saw his brief nod before he turned back to the kid. “Yes, we can fix her if that’s what you want.”
The boy reached out and grabbed his sister’s hand. Watching over her for a moment he turned his head and stared at Yuri then turned to Roman. “I’m sorry I hit you but when I saw your gun I was worried about Stevie. She’s all I got left in the whole world and it’s my job to keep her safe.” A single tear rolled down his cheek and he hung his head. “Only, I didn’t do such a great job.”
Roman knelt beside the boy and laid his hand on his shoulder. “I think you did a good job. I wasn’t going to hurt either of you but you didn’t know that. You took me down with one strike but now you have to give her over to my brothers. They can fix her up and protect the pair of you.”
The kid shook his head. “They can’t protect us.” He peered up at Yuri. “If we could stay with you guys for a few days until Stevie is stronger, then we’ll leave and never bother you again.”
“Are they still after you two?” Yuri asked.
He glared at him but refused to say another word.
Suddenly, the girl groaned and tried to open her eyes.
The boy slid to his knees beside her. “Stevie, are you okay?” he mumbled hoarsely. “Please tell me you’re okay?”
Stevie groaned again, and tried to move her injured arms. “Benny?” she asked, then promptly passed out again.
Benny looked up with tears in his eyes. Squeezing his eyes shut tightly he whispered, “You promised you wouldn’t leave me. Please don’t leave me!”
Sazon took his jacket off and wrapped it around her before he reached under her lifting her easily into his arms. Carrying her gently, he moved to the front door.
“No, you can’t take her outside!” Benny cried out.
Everyone turned to stare at him.
“Why?” Barshan asked.
Benny struggled for a long moment before he admitted, “Because its light out there and someone might see her.”
Roman laid his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Who might see her?”
Benny hung his head. “I can’t tell you that.” He looked up at the window. He saw the bright sunshine of the new day and shook his head. “But they might be looking for us in the daylight and I know Stevie wouldn’t want to put anyone else in danger from these guys.” He shifted from foot to foot. “Can’t we just wait for dark?”
Yuri shook his head. “No son, we can’t wait. You’re sister has waited long enough. She could lose movement in her arm if we wait any longer. How long ago did she get hurt?”
Benny shrugged. “It was just last night.” Tears rolled down his face. “I led him right to her and she stepped out of the shadows and protected me just like she’s always done and the bastard beat the hell out of her.”
Roman squeezed the boy’s shoulder. “She’ll be ok. These men can help her.”
Benny shook his head. “You don’t understand.”
Roman glanced over at Mikial. “Can you bring the suburban to the back door? In case he’s right, we don’t want her seen, if we don’t have to.”
Mikial nodded and left the room.
A few minutes later, Kosta Yuri’s man knocked on the door and when Yuri opened it, he found the suburban waiting for them.
When they got everyone loaded, Mikial glanced over at Roman. “Where are we going?”
“Take them to my house,” Roman replied.
Yuri snapped his head around to stare at Roman. “Are you sure?”
Roman tightene
d his jaw and nodded.
Yuri glanced at the rest of the men in the vehicle and they looked as stunned as he felt.
Roman wasn’t as open or as willing to share his own space as the rest of them were. He always told them his home was his own and no one except for the four of them even knew where it was. Roman liked his privacy and everyone that met him knew not to ask personal questions. They all had their secrets from their childhood but Roman seemed to have more than most and that was a time before they all came together and he wouldn’t talk about it.
Kosta made his way to Roman’s house. It was set back from the street, not far from the warehouse. It was out of the main throughway of the city and no one knew the house was even there.
When he reached the gate, he pressed in a code that opened the gates. Roman had a tight security around the place he called home. The place was a large one story house with a wraparound porch. It had large bay windows all the way around the front and the back. There was a huge three car garage attached to the house and the whole thing was painted blue with white trim.
When Kosta parked the vehicle just inside the garage, Sazon lifted the girl out of the huge suburban and carried her inside. He bypassed the kitchen and went to the living room then looked over at Roman.
Yuri turned to Kosta. “Keep look out. You have my cell number.”
Kosta nodded silently.
Roman headed in and went down the hall. Leading the way, he opened the door to one of the spare bedrooms and stood back while Sazon carried the young woman over to the bed. He gently laid her down and carefully took the jacket off her. Throwing it down to the floor, he checked her for injuries again.
Looking up at Roman he said, “I need some hot water and a couple of clean cloths to wash away the blood. I need to see what we’re working with here.”
Benny came in, moved to the corner of the room, and sat down. He couldn’t take his eyes off his sister. He watched as Sazon began unbuttoning her shirt and he got to his feet and stomped over to the bed. “What the hell are you doing?”