A Thousand Lies

by Sala, Sharon

  He glanced at Thorpe. “How many weapons do we have on board?”

  Thorpe went to the back to check. “Four semi-automatics, an AK47, and a rifle with a scope.”

  Riordan’s eyes narrowed. “Hey, Marty, turn this bus around.”

  Thorpe stared. “We’re going back?”

  Wes nodded.

  “Why?” Thorpe asked.

  “To get my money and get rid of some witnesses.”

  “I’ll get ready,” Thorpe said.

  Wes looked at the girl again. She was still staring at him. He didn’t like the blank stare and tried to ignore it, but he could feel her eyes on him every time he made a move.

  Thorpe walked past her and caught the same stare. “What are you looking at?” he snapped.

  “A dead man,” Linny whispered, then closed her eyes.

  ****

  As soon as Brendan disconnected, he dropped down to his mother’s side.

  “Hang on, Mama. Help’s coming,” he said, and then reached for his phone.

  “What are you doing?” Sam asked.

  “Calling the Parish sheriff’s office.”

  Chance frowned. “You told Riordan you wouldn’t call the police if he brought Linny back.”

  “I lied,” Brendan said. “I hear the ambulance. Someone go walk them in. We gotta get Mama out of here before Riordan shows back up.”

  “What about Daddy?” Sam asked, eyeing Anson’s swollen eyes and the bloody gouges Delle had put on his face.

  “He’s hurt himself worse than that getting drunk and falling down the stairs. He’s not going anywhere but to jail,” Brendan said and pulled up the number to the office of the Sheriff of Orleans Parish.

  ****

  Sumter Henry was in shock and trying to hide it as he and his deputy, Blakely, led the way to Wisteria Hill with four parish cruisers behind him. He was still trying to wrap his head around the fact Anson Poe had actually sold his daughter to a drug dealer, and that Brendan Poe swore that after some threats they’d made, the man was bringing her back. If this was the case, they didn’t have much time to get in place and set a trap.

  They met an ambulance on the way out, and supposed it was the one with Anson’s wife, who’d been hurt during the fight. When they reached the property, they saw Brendan standing at the side of the driveway near the house. They braked as Brendan ran to meet them.

  “You need to hide the cruisers! You can put three behind the packing shed behind the house. Drive the other two back across the road and up in the trees. When the motor home comes down the driveway, they can follow it in.”

  “You do know this could precipitate a hostage situation and set yourself up as a target?” Henry warned.

  “I’ll take my chances. Linny’s life depends on it,” Brendan said.

  Henry quickly dispersed the cruisers, then positioned each of his remaining officers in positions of defense.

  Brendan led the way inside with Sheriff Henry behind him.

  “Where’s Anson?” the sheriff asked.

  “Tied up in the library. Chance is with him.”

  Henry shook his head. “He really sold his little girl?”

  “For a hundred thousand dollars,” Sam said.

  “Lord have mercy,” Henry whispered. “How long has she been missing?”

  “Less than two hours,” Brendan said.

  “How on earth did you figure this out so fast?” Henry asked.

  “It’s a long story,” Brendan said. “As soon as we get Linny back, we’ll gladly explain everything in detail.”

  Henry hesitated to comment for fear of giving away the fact that he had taken money from Anson, but he was curious to know.

  “That’s a hell of a lot of money all right, but gossip is that your daddy wasn’t exactly hard up for money.”

  Brendan shrugged. He was past telling lies.

  “Someone burned him out.”

  Henry’s eyes widened. “Really? Who did it?”

  “I did,” Chance said as he walked into the room.

  Henry stared. “You? Why?”

  “Why the hell not?” Chance muttered.

  “Where’s Anson at?” Henry asked.

  “In the library. I’ll take you there,” Sam said.

  “Make it quick,” Brendan said. “We have to be ready the minute they drive up.”

  Sam frowned. “You don’t think they’re going to give her back?”

  “I think Riordan is too smart and been in business too long to cave so easily. They’re coming back to get their money all right, but I’ll lay odds he plans to get rid of us, too.”

  The sheriff eyed Brendan curiously. “That’s pretty sound reasoning.”

  Brendan shrugged. “If you’re going to pay your respects to Anson, make it fast.”

  Henry paused, then shook his head. “I changed my mind. I can talk to him later.” He got on his hand-held, verifying that his men were all in place and signed off. “I’m going to stay here at the front of the house for a view of the road.”

  Brendan took off up the stairs, leaving the sheriff with his brothers. He would have a bird’s-eye view of the main road and the driveway from his old bedroom upstairs.

  Chapter Twenty

  Brendan was sick about what had happened to his mama, but blamed part of it on her for coming back. Still, they’d sent her off to the hospital with strangers and no one to speak for her—no one she knew would be there when she woke up—if she woke up.

  He thought of Claudette. Too bad his mama didn’t have some of her sister’s good sense. She’d come through for them before, maybe she would again.

  He scanned contacts in his cell phone, then called. The phone began to ring and he waited. Just when he thought it would go to voice mail, she answered.

  “Hello?”

  “Auntie, it’s me, Brendan. Mama is on her way to the hospital. The same one Julie was in.”

  Claudette moaned. “Oh no… Did Anson hurt her again?”

  “Yes. It’s a long ugly story, which I’ll explain in depth later. Once again I’m asking for your help.”

  “Of course. What can I do?”

  “She’s unconscious. If you could be there and answer any questions they might have, we would be grateful.”

  “Where are your brothers? What about Belinda?”

  Brendan’s voice started to shake. “Worse, Auntie, much worse. She’s gone. Anson sold her. We’re here at the house with the police.”

  There was a moment of silence, and then Claudette’s shock was echoed in her voice. “What? Say that again!”

  “Anson fucking sold her to a drug dealer for a hundred thousand dollars and we’re trying to get her back.”

  “Oh dear lord, no! Not that sweet baby!”

  “Say prayers, Auntie. I’ve got to go.”

  “Call me,” Claudette said. “I’m leaving for the hospital now.”

  Brendan heard her disconnect and then turned back to the window. The first thing that went through his mind was what Linny might be enduring. The little queen had summoned her favorite knight and he had failed to protect her. He felt like throwing up.

  ****

  Riordan was getting nervous. They were cutting it close getting back to Wisteria Hill within the hour they’d been given. He had confidence he would be able to disappear should the authorities be notified, but it would destroy a set-up he’d spent years creating. The optimum ending to this farce would be completely eradicating the rest of the Poe family, then taking his money and the girl and moving on.

  “Hey, Marty! How much farther?” he yelled.

  “Another five minutes and we’re there,” the driver said.

  Wes checked his watch. That would put them right on the hour. He glanced at the kid to make sure she was still securely tied. She should’ve been crying for her mama or begging them to let her go. But she just lay there, continuing to watch his every move without saying a word. For a little kid, she had one hell of a stare.

  Linny was afraid, but
she wouldn’t show it because she knew what was going to happen. She knew there would be shooting and someone was going to die. She’d tried and tried to work her hands free but to no avail. Her arms ached and her hands were almost numb. They’d tied her wrists and ankles too tight. Even if she got free, she had nowhere to run.

  When she realized they were slowing down, her heart began to hammer. Before, she’d been afraid of going home because of Daddy. Now, it was Daddy’s friends who brought the fear.

  ****

  When Brendan saw the motor home turn off the road and come down the driveway, a wash of relief went through him. Secretly, he’d been afraid Riordan would call his challenge and keep on driving.

  He’d confiscated one of Anson’s guns earlier, and grabbed it off the bed as he ran from the room. By the time he got downstairs, the others were on their way to the kitchen.

  Sam clapped Brendan on the back. “Good call, brother. You got them back.”

  Brendan frowned. “That was the easy part. The hard part is yet to come. Is Anson still tied up good?”

  “He’s tied and I cuffed him, too,” Henry said.

  Brendan ran into the library to grab the briefcase full of money.

  When Anson saw him take it, he began grunting and squealing behind the gag in his mouth, but Brendan got the message.

  “Kiss my ass,” he said.

  He eyed the bloody gouges in Anson’s face as he took a bottle of whiskey from the wet bar, then ran out of the library and headed back to the kitchen.

  “What are you doing with the money?” Sam asked as Brendan walked past him.

  “Just cover me,” Brendan said as he dug through the cabinets.

  “What the hell are you looking for? And you’re not going out there on your own,” Chance said.

  Brendan kept digging. “Where’s that chef’s torch Mama uses to make crème brulee?”

  “It’s here,” Chance said as he opened another cabinet. “What the fuck are you going to do with it? Set them on fire?”

  “Just the money,” he said.

  “Then let me make sure this thing fires up,” Chance said and got the lighter. Moments later, the butane torch shot a blast of blue fire a good three feet away.

  “That’ll work,” Chance said. “I’m coming with you.”

  Sam came into the kitchen with one of Anson’s rifles. “So am I,” he said.

  Brendan shook his head. “I’m going alone. If they only focus on one target, it might give the rest of you an edge. Linny’s safety is all that matters.”

  Sam shook his head. “Belinda belongs to all of us, Bren. We’ll do this together or not at all.” He gave the sheriff a hard look. “Now’s the time to redeem yourself, Henry, so don’t fuck this up.”

  Henry frowned as he realized Sam knew he’d been on the take, but he got the message.

  “I’ve got your back,” Henry said.

  Chance opened the door and the brothers walked out, ready to put their lives on the line for the child caught in the middle of hell.

  ****

  Marty had just pulled the motor home up behind the house and braked when the back door opened. When Wes saw the three brothers emerge, he frowned. One was armed, one had the briefcase, and one was carrying some kind of torch. He hadn’t expected all three of them, but it didn’t matter. He had the greater firepower and the kid.

  He cut the ties from her ankles and grabbed her by the hair as he yanked her to her feet.

  “You make one wrong move and I’ll break your neck,” he said and yanked hard again to prove his point.

  Linny was so scared she was shaking, and when he yanked her hair, she cried.

  “You’re hurting me. Stop hurting me.”

  Wes frowned. “You make one wrong move and I’ll kill your brothers.”

  She could already see the blood on the ground even though it had not been shed and willingly let him drag her out of the motor home. But then she saw her brothers and all of her bravado was gone. She started crying.

  Brendan’s gut knotted the moment he saw her. One side of her face was swollen and there was blood on the front of her shirt, but he couldn’t lose focus. He swung the briefcase to call attention to it, flipped the latch, and dropped it, knowing it would fall open and the stacks of bills would spill out.

  Wes frowned as they tumbled out onto the ground.

  “What the hell, Poe? Is this supposed to be your sign of good will?”

  Brendan unscrewed the cap on the bottle of whiskey and began pouring it all over the money at his feet.

  “What the fuck made you think there was any good will between us? You stole our little sister. There’s no good will here... none at all.”

  Wes was shocked that he was soaking the money with booze. It made no sense. He didn’t know what was going on, but he didn’t like it.

  “Thorpe, if they make one wrong move, kill them all,” he said loudly.

  Thorpe swung the AK47 toward them. All he had to do was pull the trigger and the spray would take them all down.

  At that point, Sam shouldered his rifle and pointed it squarely at Wes Riordan’s head.

  “If you turn Thorpe loose on us, you need to know I’ll get off one shot before I die. And that shot is aimed at you, so I’d be real careful about starting something you can’t finish,” Sam said.

  “Let Linny go,” Brendan said.

  “Not without my money,” Wes muttered.

  Brendan toed the briefcase forward. “Send your hired dog to pick it up.”

  Wes turned back toward the motor home and yelled. “Marty!”

  The driver jumped out on the run. “Yeah, boss?”

  “Pick up that money.”

  “Sure thing,” he said and started forward.

  “Stop right there,” Brendan said.

  At that point, Chance fired up the chef’s torch. The blue flame shot across the space between them, punctuating the order.

  Marty hesitated, unwilling to approach the blaze.

  Brendan pointed at Linny. “Turn her loose first or my brother is going to start the most expensive bonfire you’ve ever seen.”

  “God damn it!” Riordan yelled and twisted Linny’s hair even tighter.

  She shrieked again, this time begging Riordan to stop.

  Chance’s reaction was instantaneous. “Stop hurting her, damn it, or your money is history!”

  He waved the lit torch over the top of the money to punctuate the threat. The air above it was full of the alcohol fumes and instantly flamed. It went out just as quickly as it had caught, but the warning was there.

  Riordan stared at the money, then the men, and slowly loosened the grip.

  “You think I won’t do it?” Chance yelled. “I burned down over a million dollars’ worth of marijuana. Torching a hundred thou is nothing to me.”

  “You burned the fields?” Wes cried. “What the fuck made you do something like that?”

  Chance locked gazes with Riordan. “Daddy made me mad. You don’t want to make me mad, too.”

  Wes stared at the flame. It was far too close to the whiskey-soaked money for his state of mind. He eyed Poe’s sons with new respect. It was painfully obvious that, even if he had a dozen more men and an army of weapons, these three would still do exactly what they said.

  One wrong move—the money would be in flames—and he’d have a bullet in his head.

  “Ah, what the hell,” he said, cut the ties on Linny’s wrists, and gave her a shove.

  Linny didn’t need a second invitation. She fixed her gaze on Brendan and started running.

  Brendan dropped the empty whiskey bottle at his feet, pulled the handgun from the back of his waistband and aimed it at Riordan, too.

  “Just in case my brother misses,” he said softly.

  His gun was still trained on Riordan as Belinda leaped into his arms, sobbing.

  All of a sudden, police cars appeared around the corner of the house, pulling up behind the motor home with lights flashing. Three other cruise
rs shot out from behind the packing shed and headed toward the house with lights flashing and sirens blaring.

  Other deputies came out from the woods where they’d been hiding with their guns drawn, shouting for the men to drop their weapons.

  Enraged that they’d been caught in a trap, Wes started screaming at Thorpe, “Shoot them, shoot them all!”

  Brendan dropped, shielding Linny with his body as the shooting began, and even though it was just a matter of seconds, it felt like forever.

  There was a roar in his ears he later realized were Linny’s screams. He could see a ladybug crawling in the dust by her arm. The scent of her sweaty little body was up his nose, and the faint smell of marijuana was in her hair. He kept praying they wouldn’t die.

  The shooting stopped as abruptly as it had begun. The police were in control, and Riordan’s crew was on the ground.

  Brendan rolled off Linny, then picked her up into his arms as she continued to sob.

  “It’s over, baby. It’s over,” Brendan said as she threw her arms around his neck.

  Sam came running with Chance right behind him. “Is she okay?” he yelled.

  Brendan nodded.

  “Jesus wept,” Sam muttered, then put his arms around them as Chance did the same.

  They couldn’t change what had happened to Belinda, but she was alive, and that’s all that mattered.

  Sheriff Henry was standing on the porch with Anson Poe in his grip. For once, Poe was speechless, eyeing the number of police on his property and more that kept coming.

  Thorpe was flat on his back, the AK47 at his feet and a bullet hole in his head.

  Marty, the driver, stood out like a parrot in a cage full of wrens wearing a red and green floral shirt and green shorts. His ensemble went well with his new handcuffs.

  Wes Riordan was facedown on the ground with a deputy on top of him, locking handcuffs on him as well.

  Linny was sobbing helplessly as Brendan headed for the house with her in his arms. “You’re okay, baby girl. You’re okay.”

  “You’re safe, honey, and the bad guys are going to jail,” Sam added.