“What happened?” Sam asked.
“While mom was sleeping one day, Cordy sneaked into the room. She stared at Mom for a moment then she lifted a pillow and placed it over my mom’s face. She held it down even while Mom struggled, but she was so weak it didn’t matter. She might have only been a kid but my mother was so weak from the cancer. She only struggled for a moment then she was gone. Cordy put the pillow back under mom’s head and acted like nothing was wrong.”
Cordy gasped and turned to Cricket. “I never knew you saw that!”
Cricket didn’t answer her, she didn’t even look at her.
“How old was she at the time?” Sam asked.
“She was eleven years old.”
Everyone gasped.
Then Sam asked, “How long was it before you came to Maine after that?”
“It was a year before we moved over to Maine. Dad was pretty messed up for a while. Without Mom, he seemed so lost.”
“What happened once you got to Maine?” Sam asked.
“Dad lost himself in the MC.” Cricket shrugged. “You couldn’t blame him. After Mom died, the MC settled him. He left Cordy in charge of the house while he hung out with his brothers.”
“What happened then?” Deke asked.
“You are what happened,” Cricket said.
“Excuse me?” he frowned.
Cricket shook her head. “I don’t know what you did that summer but by the time you left Maine that fall, she thought she was in love with you.”
“I was in love with him!” Cordy screamed. “And he loved me too. Sam was the one who forced him to leave that fall.”
Deke shook his head. “I was seventeen years old and I never loved you. Hell, I didn’t even know you were there. Sam didn’t force me to leave Maine, I left on my own.”
Cordy looked heartbroken. “But you did love me,” she whispered.
“No, I didn’t,” Deke countered. “If I really loved you, I never would have left. When I left that day, I never looked back.”
“Damn you.” Cordy cursed. “Everything I did after that was tied to you.”
“No, what you did was for you and no one else.” Deke seethed at her. “We saw Cricket’s back, we saw how she suffered. That wasn’t for anyone but you. You enjoyed making her suffer.”
“Why should I be the only one in pain?” Cordy screamed.
“We talked to Sabbath,” Sam told her.
“Who the fuck is Sabbath and why should I give a shit?” Cordy sneered.
“Sabbath put a camera in Orrin’s shop at Orrin’s request. He knew someone was messing around in his shop. He wanted to find out who it was before someone was killed,” Sam informed her. “We know what happened the day he died. We didn’t see the tape before he died, but we saw it after he was gone.”
Cordy turned to Cricket and found her sister staring back. Cordy swallowed hard at the look in Cricket’s eyes.
“You killed him, didn’t you?” Cricket asked.
Cordy took a deep breath and released it. “Yes, I did. He told me to forget Deke. He told me he would never love me and I should just get on with my life. I told him I was going to find Deke.” Cordy seemed lost in the past as she stared at Deke, “Then he said something I could never forgive him for. He told me I would never be good enough for Deke. He told me I was trash and a whore and would always be nothing but those two things. He said no one would ever really love me.”
Cricket turned and asked, “Why would he say something like that?”
Cordy snorted as she continued to look at the floor. “Because I was sleeping with anyone who would take me to bed. But none of it meant anything. I just wanted to feel something, anything at all. It was like I was dead inside and I just wanted to feel something.” Then she raised her head and looked at her sister. “I could never forgive him for that. Part of it was his fault. He never gave me a chance. I think when Mom died, so did he. He wasn’t there for either of us.”
“So you killed him?” Cricket asked. “Because you couldn’t feel anything, he had to die?”
Cordy nodded. “With him out of the way, I could start to look for Deke.”
“You only stayed long enough to bury Orrin, then you took off,” Sam informed the group. “But you took Cricket with you didn’t you?”
“I needed her to stay with me,” Cordy admitted.
“Why? Why did you need me?” Cricket wanted to know.
Cordy shrugged. “I figured I was pregnant and could use you for the baby.”
Cricket paled. “I thought you realized you were pregnant in Portland.”
“I took the test in Portland. I thought I was pregnant before we left Bangor.”
“Who is the baby’s father?” Raine asked.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” She sneered.
“I already have a pretty good idea,” Raine replied.
Cordy frowned but didn’t say anything.
“What happened when you got to Portland?” Deke asked.
Cordy shrugged. “I met someone there.”
“His name was Hammer and he was a decent guy,” Cricket announced.
“You bitch!” Scythe growled as he got to his feet. “You don’t get to talk about him.”
Cricket turned and studied the man standing. Even with his face set in rage, he reminded her of Hammer. “You’re his brother?”
“One of them,” Scythe admitted. “But he was more than just my brother, he was my best friend and my twin. You murdered him in cold blood. You deserve to die and I’m going to be the one to end your life.”
Cordy cackled with laughter. “You dumb smuck. If you really believe that then you’re as fucking stupid as the cops in your town.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” Reaper asked.
“Hammer was drunk that night,” Cricket began her story.
Everyone stopped talking and just listened.
“They had a terrible fight. Cordy yelled at him because he didn’t want her anymore. She told him it was too late, that she was pregnant with his child and he had to marry her and give the baby his name. Hammer laughed at her. He said the baby wasn’t his. He claimed that he had a fever as a child and that he couldn’t have kids. He told her she would have to find some other sucker to blame for her mistakes, or he said she could man up and take responsibility for her own stupid shit. Cordy was beyond pissed. She was screaming at him, something about not being trash. Hammer laughed at her and said that’s exactly what she was. Nothing but trash and a whore.” Cricket took a deep breath and continued as she exhaled, “Cordy grabbed the knife she had hidden in her boot and she lashed out at him. She caught him across the chest. The blade went deep and the blood just sprayed everywhere. Hammer screamed as she slashed him again and again. He tried to fight back but he never had a chance. She sliced open his face and he fell to the floor. I’ll never forget his screams. I hear them every night in my nightmares.”
The room went silent except for a few growls from Hammer’s family could be heard
“She knelt on the floor beside him and kept telling him she wasn’t a whore. She told him she wasn’t trash, she was just lost and that she needed him. By that time, she was covered in his blood but she didn’t even see it. Then she got pissed again, and just began stabbing him. Over and over again. When he didn’t move or make any sound, she stopped. Then she leaned over and kissed him. Laying the blade across his neck she sliced him one more time.” Cricket stopped talking.
“Finish it,” Cordy told her. “Tell them what happened then. Tell everyone about the bargain we made.”
Cricket began to speak again, “Cordy got up and began stripping off her clothes. She took a shower and dressed in clean clothes. When she came back out, she looked at Hammer then she looked at me. She told me to pack everything up that we needed to get out of town before anyone found him. She told me we would have to find a place to hide until she could get rid of the baby. I told her she couldn’t abort her child, that was murder and she laughed at me. She
pointed at the body on the floor and said that’s what happened to him. Then she got this look in her eyes. She told me if I took the blame for Hammer, she would get us both out of town and she would have the baby if I took care of it.” Cricket closed her eyes. “I didn’t want to, I just wanted to pretend it never happened but she wouldn’t let me. She told me to hurry and make up my mind because the police were on the way. We could her the sirens getting closer and closer. I told her fine, I would tell them I had done it. She made me dress in her bloody clothes but she got to the police before I could say anything. She convinced them that Hammer had attacked me and that I killed him in self-defense. She asked them if I could change my bloody clothes and they said I could as long as I gave the clothes to them. They would be evidence. She got me in the bedroom and when I changed, she hustled me out the window and we ran. We didn’t stop until we were in Vermont. We hid under false names and tried to stay out of trouble until after the baby was born.”
The men in the room stared hard at Cordy while Cricket spoke.
“All the while, she threatened that if I didn’t do what she wanted she could always call the police and tell them where I was. Either that or she could call Hammer’s brothers and let them know where I was hiding. Either way, I was so screwed. I never had a choice. All my life, I never had a choice.”
“I don’t fucking believe a word you’ve said here today!” Reaper told everyone. “It’s just too tidy. Hammer never would have drank that much and he would have fought back. He would have snapped a little girl like her in half if she’d have come at him with a knife.” He motioned at Cricket. Then he turned to Cordy. “He also wasn’t stupid about you. He knew you were trouble. He knew you were playing him for a fool and he was anything but a fool. He knew you were playing him but he wanted to know why.”
Cordy began to laugh. “Yeah, he would have snapped her like a twig but he never got the chance. And he wasn’t so much drunk as he was stoned that day.”
“That’s impossible!” Reaper yelled as he stood from his chair. “Hammer knew better than to take drugs.”
“Oh, he didn’t take them voluntarily,” Cordy scoffed. “I needed a way to control him. The drug I gave him rendered him almost helpless.”
“You fucking bitch!” Scythe growled. “I ought to rip you limb from limb.”
Cordy turned to him and in defiance, she screamed. “Then do it. Kill me! Stop the fucking pain I live with every fucking day.”
No one said a word and the tension in the room grew with each passing moment.
At Deke’s signal, two of his men grabbed Cordy and hauled her back down the hall to her room. Then they both took their positions on either side of the door.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Deke poured a round of drinks and lifted his glass to his lips.
Cordelia was back in her bedroom under guard still screaming out threats while Cricket sat with Raine. The tribunal was over but a vote hadn’t been called yet. Everyone was still in shock at the revelations that had come forward.
“That is one seriously fucked up bitch.” Reaper slammed down his shot. “My brother never stood a chance did he?”
Deke shook his head. “No I don’t think he did. What surprises me the most is how different the sisters are. One of them thought nothing of killing someone and kidnapping two innocent kids while the other one just wanted to do the right thing.”
“I think I owe that girl an apology.” Scythe nodded at Cricket. “I’ve hated the wrong person for seven years.”
“It’s hard to know the truth when the facts are hidden,” Deke told them. “Cordy spent her whole life hiding everything from everyone but her sister. I have a feeling Cricket has more secrets about Cordy.”
“Do we really want to know?” Reaper asked. “I think I’ve heard enough. My only concern was my brother, and I finally learned what I needed to know. I finally know what really happened the night he died.”
“So what are you going to do with Cordy?” Scythe asked.
“We’ll take a vote but I’m pretty sure she’ll pay the ultimate price for her treachery.” Deke shrugged.
“What about her son?” Reaper asked.
“As we don’t know who the boy’s father is we’ll keep him here.” Deke said.
“And Cricket?” Reaper asked. “What’s going to happen to her?”
Deke shrugged. “She’s not completely innocent in all of this.”
“But she isn’t guilty either.” Sam pointed out. “She did bring Jemmia back and without her, you wouldn’t have found Sammy.”
“But she didn’t stop it in the first place.” Deke pointed out. “All it would have taken was a fucking phone call.”
“And who would she have called?” Sam asked. “She had no idea where to call. She did the best she could. She took care of the kids.”
Deke fisted his hands. “I know but Cassie still went through hell. We all did.”
“And you don’t think she did?” Sam asked. “You saw her back, you know Cordy is psychotic. You left before you got to know her but all those years she lived with my old MC, I watched her. There was something off about that girl. Orrin saw it even if he didn’t want to, he saw it.” He sighed heavily. “Cricket never said a word she was being mistreated. She took everything her sister handed her and never said a word.”
“She probably thought no one would believe her.” Deke shook his head. “How was it no one caught on that Orrin was murdered?”
Sam shrugged. “There was so much going on at the time I don’t suppose anyone thought to look at the tapes, and by the time we did, Cordy and Cricket were gone. No one knew where they were.”
When the main doors opened, Deke swung around to see who would be foolish enough to interrupt a tribunal. When he saw Black Jack and his three sons, Hound, Gambler and Judge he frowned. Getting to his feet, he walked over to where they had joined Raine. Sam joined them as well.
“I’m sorry Black Jack, but you came at the worst possible time.” Deke shook the other man’s hand.
“No. I know you’re in the middle of something here,” Black Jack replied. “But Raine called us this morning with news that couldn’t wait.”
Deke turned to study Raine. “And what would that be?” He turned back to Black Jack.
“It was the fact that Cordy Tannnis had a child six years ago.” Black Jack stated.
“And that concerns your family how?” Deke asked.
“The child is probably mine,” Gambler told him.
“How do you figure that?” Cricket asked. “She never told me about you.” She glanced over at Raine and said, “I know he thinks Dusty belongs to your family, because of his birthmark but he can’t know for sure.”
Gambler shook his head. “We were only together that one time. I had too much to drink and got stupid one night. When I woke up the next morning and saw her in bed with me, I kicked her to the curb. I knew better than to get with her, hell I didn’t even remember what happened that night.”
“Then why do you think the boy is yours?” Deke asked.
“Because he has the Moore birthmark,” Raine explained. He lifted his shirt and showed the mark under his right armpit.
Black Jack nodded. “That birthmark belongs to our family. All my boys have it. We breed mostly boys and they all have it. If this boy has it, he’s more than likely a Moore.”
“And if he’s a Moore, he’s my son,” Gambler stated. “I want to meet him.”
“And you will but not right now,” Deke assured him. “We’re in the voting stage of the tribunal.”
Black Jack nodded. “Before you pass sentence, can we speak to Cordy and find out if the boy is Gambler’s?”
Deke looked over the crowd. They looked ready for justice. “I suppose so, but you’d better hurry.”
“I’ll take them to her.” Sam volunteered. He looked at Black Jack. “I don’t know if she’ll tell you the truth or not. But you can ask. Maybe she’ll do the right thing and tell you what you want to know.�
�
They all followed Sam down the hall to the bedroom where Cordy was under guard.
~* * * *~
Cricket was stunned. Dusty was all she had left in the whole world and now, she was going to lose him too. Tears rolled down her cheeks and the pain of loss overwhelmed her. Wrapping her arms around her waist, she began rocking back and forth slightly.
Raine watched his family disappear into the bedroom then he looked over at Cricket. When he noticed her blank stare he became concerned. “Are you all right?”
Cricket whispered, “I’ve lost everything I ever held dear to me. Dusty was all I had left and now, I’m going to lose him too. Cordy won. She’s taken everything I ever loved away from me. She’s left me with nothing.”
“You won’t lose Dusty,” Raine insisted. “Dusty will always love you.”
“But he won’t be with me anymore,” She wailed. “I won’t be able to hug him every day or whisper all my secret dreams to him when he’s sleeping. I won’t be able to watch him grow up.”
“Why? Why can’t you do all of that?” Raine asked.
Cricket stared at him for a moment, then looked away. “Your brother will claim him as his father. He’ll take Dusty home with him. I’ll never see him again.”
“If the boy is Gambler’s he’ll be with his dad. Is that so bad? He’ll have a grandfather and a grandmother and a couple of uncles.” Raine tried to reason with her. “Dusty will have a whole new family to take care of him, to love him. That doesn’t sound so bad.”
“No it doesn’t,” Cricket admitted. “But you need to understand I’ve watched over him since the day he was born. I was the only one who ever loved him like that.” She thought for a moment. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t ready to give him up just yet.”
Raine wrapped his arms around her. “You don’t have to give him up. Don’t you realize he loves you? He’ll never stop loving you. His world is about to get a lot bigger that’s all.”
Cricket nodded. “I know I should be happy for him but god help me, I hate change, especially when someone I love is going to be ripped away from me.” Then she looked around the room. The tension was still thick and she knew they would call a vote soon. “But maybe in light of what’s going on here it’s a good thing. At least I know someone will look out for him when I’m gone.”
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