As always, there’s one bully on every block, even back then. His particular bully was named Calvin Holder. Calvin always ran with at least three other hangers’ on. One day, they cornered him in a dead-end alley.
Calvin told him he was going to beat him, when Bane asked him why, Calvin sneered and told him just because he could. Then Bane asked him if his father would be proud of his son’s actions and Calvin said it wasn’t like his father gave a shit either way.
Bane told the other boys he was going to protect himself and that beating him might not be a good idea on their part.
Calvin laughed and asked what he thought he could do against the four of them. Bane had just shrugged and told them to walk away and leave him be. Then Calvin and one of the others came toward him. The moment Calvin pushed him, the fight was over as far as Bane was concerned. He just went ballistic. All his life he knew he had a beast inside him and for the most part, he could control the rage inside him but that day he let the beast out to play, only he never knew how bad the beast would be.
When he came too again, all four boys were down on the ground, broken and bleeding. They hadn’t laid a hand on him. When he walked out of the alley, he saw a small group of neighbors waiting and staring at him with fear in the eyes. When he walked away, they rushed in and later when he was in his room, he’d seen the police car stop at his front door.
An hour later, his grandfather Theo showed up and he was to take Bane home with him. His own mother hadn’t even looked at him when they left. He had known she was becoming afraid of him as he grew older but he never understood why. He was still her son even though his feelings were not what she thought they should be. His father walked him out to the truck his grandfather had. Before he got into the vehicle his father, Frank leaned in closer and whispered something in his ear.
Then without another word, he turned and went back to the house.
His brother, Orrin stood in the doorway and watched as he and Grandpa Theo drove away. The last thing he saw was when Orrin slowly closed the door. In his mind, it was like Orrin had turned his back on him.
Theo had brought him back to this home. Only when they were in his new bedroom did Theo ask what happened in that alley. No one had even thought to ask him his version of what happened. The police just took whatever Calvin said as gospel. They hadn’t bothered checking with Bane at all.
When Bane told his grandfather what happened he took note of the gleam in Theo’s eyes. He smiled and called him a true Jessin. Theo told him to get a good night’s rest because he would need it for tomorrow. Tomorrow, he would begin his training. It would be the first day of the rest of his life when he would find his true place in the world.
Theo had kept his word. Along with teaching Bane his school subjects, he taught him how to fight and how to defend himself. As part of the schooling, Bane also took classes online that taught him about the human body. Theo taught him how to use this knowledge where to strike and take down his opponent.
When he was sixteen, Theo began to teach him the lessons of his family legacy. He always knew he was different, but it wasn’t until he was sixteen that he finally learned why he was different. His family had a long history of being assassins. He asked his grandfather if his own father had known this and when Theo told him he did, Bane had to ask why he was never told before now.
Theo told him his mother never accepted that part of his father and she didn’t want her sons to grow up with that history. But after he was born, she couldn’t overlook it anymore. Even his father could see the truth in his son’s eyes. His mother grew more afraid of her eldest son as the years passed and grew up.
Then when he was seventeen his father was murdered. He trusted someone he shouldn’t have and he’d been betrayed by someone he cared about very much. Bane hunted the bastard down and finally killed him but only after hours of methodical torture, he also found out his mother set up the hit. Apparently, she had made the killer believe she cared for him, using her body to betray his father she made a deal with the other man to murder her husband for the money he had in life insurance. He hunted her down too and when he confronted her with what he’d been told, one look and he read the truth in her eyes. Then he buried them both where no one would ever find them. Theo took charge of Orrin and brought the boys to live with him.
His memories were crowding his mind tonight and he didn’t know why. Only he knew he’d murdered his mother, everyone else thought she simply disappeared with the money her husband left her. No one even questioned where she had gone. No one even cared that she left her sons behind.
Bane felt restless as he stared out at the approaching darkness. He had always been ok with being alone but tonight for some reason, being alone bothered him. Loneliness he was used to, even being alone but tonight something else was bothering him.
Glancing over at his calendar, he took note of the date. His eyes narrowed as the reference of the date hit him like a sledgehammer. The anniversary of his worst betrayal was tomorrow. No wonder he was edgy tonight.
Grace.
Closing his eyes, he could still see her face. Her eyes filled with fear and terror of him. He remembered the rage he felt that day. Rage of betrayal rode him especially hard when he found them together.
He’d known for years that she hadn’t loved him but for her to do what she did to him, had been unforgivable. He remembered her tears, her voice broken and begging, not for his mercy for herself but for him. She begged Bane not to kill her lover and whatever feelings Bane had for her died that day.
Bane turned and walked down the hall to his study. He didn’t want to think about her anymore. But he still saw her everywhere he looked. She’d been such a big part of his life for the several years she lived here with him.
As he sat behind his desk he switched on his computer and began running his search program again. He’d done this every night for the last thirty years. Part of him wondered why he continued this torture while the other part of him wanted to find them. To punish the both of them for their betrayal.
Glancing around the room, he found himself looking at the mantle. The empty mantle. The mantle that once upon a time held a small memento from his grandfather Theo. A small glass jar filled with precious gems and a secret Theo told him on his death bed. A secret Bane never shared with anyone. It was more for the return of the glass jar he did this same search every night, than for her or him.
Then he turned his head and stared at the old banker’s safe his grandfather had. It was a safe built over a hundred and fifty years ago. His grandfather had explained to him that you can never forget your history and that each item you left behind would be someone else’s mystery to solve.
When Orrin had come to live with them, Theo knew he didn’t have the moxy to become an assassin, but he did find locks interesting, and he was interested in blowing things up. He got incredibly good at those two things in a very short amount of time.
Both the brothers gained recognition in their own fields of interest and soon were sought out in the underground circles of organized crime syndicates.
Bane saw a pinging red flag flashing on his screen and frowning, he clicked on it. Raising an eye brow he found himself staring at his brother’s face on the wanted poster he’d posted a couple of years ago.
Bane didn’t move for several minutes, then he leaned forward and clicked on his tracking program. The program had been put in place to search and discover where the inquiry originated.
When the answer flashed on his screen, Bane stared at the pinpointed arrow on the map in front of him.
All these years he had searched for them and all these years, they’d been right here in the state of New York—the whole time. Bane’s fingers curled into fists and he let the fury inside him grow a bit.
The rage flared quickly. Turning his head to the calendar on his desk, he had to smile at the irony of it all. Thirty years ago, tomorrow they had run from him. It seemed only right that on the anniversary of their betrayal, he sho
uld find them again.
He followed the link and typed a few words of his own. Hitting send, he sat back in his chair and smiled. That should shake them up. Leaning forward, he began to type. His fingers were working the keyboard fast and furious as he learned who lived at that address and why they’d clicked on Orrin’s poster.
A few minutes later, he sat back in his chair and stared at his screen in puzzlement. Why would an MC be interested in his brother’s poster? This was getting more and more curious.
He remembered seeing a motorcycle at the residence he found them in years before. Bane hadn’t been aware his brother even rode a cycle. Then the more he thought about it the more it made sense to him.
Tomorrow he would get some answers, finally. Perhaps he would even find them once and for all. This search for them was getting old. At first, it had been to kill them both, now all he wanted was his jar back. And in the morning, he would finally get back what they took from him.
Chapter Two
Bane pulled into the compound and looked around. The place was well organized and clean and oh so, very ordinary. Shrugging, he thought Orrin could do better but this meant nothing to him. Getting out of his sports car, Bane moved forward to the front door. Before he could get very far he noted another couple of men walking toward him. He stopped and waited for them to catch up with him.
“What do you want here?” one of them growled.
Bane wasn’t stupid, and he knew without looking, that the other men were both armed and they knew exactly how to use their weapons. But then so did he and he didn’t need a weapon to take them down. He was the weapon. “I’m here to see the man in charge of this place.”
“And who might you be exactly?” the same man asked.
“Silly boy,” Bane admonished with a smirk. “Don’t ask questions that you really don’t want the answers for. Just take me to the man in charge and I’ll discuss my business with him.”
Bane watched as one of the men took off inside the clubhouse. He waited patiently while the information was relayed to the President. He looked down at the suit he was wearing and brushed a layer of dust off the sleeve. He had left in the middle of the night and had been watching this place since early dawn. So far, there had been no sign of either Orrin or Grace but he wasn’t done here yet.
When the man returned and nodded, the second man motioned for him to continue on his way. He paused slightly just inside the door to let his eyes adjust to the difference of light. Then he saw the walls lined with bikers and a single table where one man sat at. He straightened his shoulders and walked boldly to the table.
His suit was high quality and his shoes gleamed as they covered the ground and came to stop at the main table.
The man at the table didn’t say a word, but his dark eyes took in everything all at once. He then locked eyes with Bane. “My name is Deke Tory and I’m President of this club. What’s your business here?”
“I came here to ask you why you were looking for information about a man named Orrin. Is he here? I would really like a word with him.”
Then the silence in the clubhouse was shattered by the sound of a tray dropping and crockery hitting the floor and breaking into thousands of pieces. Everyone turned to see what happened.
Even Bane turned to look.
They all saw a young woman standing there with shock on her face. She paled as she stared at Bane.
Bane gasped at the sight of her and whispered the name, “Grace,” Then he closed his eyes. The shock of seeing the younger version of his wife shook him, more than he cared to realize. He hadn’t expected this. Looking around the room, he found himself looking for Grace herself. But all he saw were the men of the MC. Not even Orrin was among them.
The girl cried out and ran for the back door. The sunlight flooded the room for a moment before the door slammed closed again.
“What was that all about?’ Bane asked as he turned back to Deke. He acted like the glimpse he had of his past had no meaning for him.
~*~
Deke shrugged and looked over at Raine. He motioned for the man to go after her then turned his attention back to the stranger. “I have no idea.” He nodded his head for the man to sit.
The stranger with the cold eyes sat. “As I said, someone here clicked on a wanted poster of a man named Orrin and I came to find out why.”
“And you would be who?” Deke asked.
“Someone you don’t want to know,” the stranger assured him. “I’m just here after information. Don’t make it any more than what it is.”
Deke’s eyes narrowed as he thought about what to say. He had a feeling his position was very precarious at the moment. The man had a cold deathly look to him.
The stranger sat back in his chair and asked, “Who was that woman?”
“Why do you ask?”
The stranger shrugged. “I usually don’t get that response until someone knows me better.” His eyes narrowed as he stared at Deke. “What is her name?”
Before he could answer, the back door opened and Raine dragged Cricket back inside. She looked ready to bolt again, but he held her hand. He brought her over to the main table and stood behind her. His hands were on her shoulders to keep her in place.
Cricket stared at the floor. She was trembling, and her knees barely held her up. When the stranger pushed a chair out for her to sit on, she glanced quickly at Deke. When he nodded slightly, she sank down into the chair.
The stranger leaned forward and grasped her chin, lifting it to look at her face.
Cricket stared at the man’s face as he stared at hers. When she saw his eyes, she found she couldn’t look away.
His fingers tightened on her jaw.
Her eyes slowly closed, and her lips trembled as she whispered his name, “Bane.”
The stranger’s lips curled as he released her. “You look just like your mother.” He looked back over to Deke and shrugged. “My name is Bane Jessin and I want information about a man named Orrin.”
“My father is dead,” Cricket told him.
Bane snapped his head around and glared at her. “Your father? How long?”
“Seven years.”
“How did he die?”
“He got caught in a back blast. Someone sabotaged his bomb.”
“Are you his only child?”
Cricket shook her head. “I had a sister named Cordelia.”
Bane didn’t say anything for the longest time then he asked, “Which daughter are you?”
Cricket swallowed hard. “I’m Cricket, his youngest.”
A muscle flexed in Bane’s jaw. “And your mother? Is she still alive?”
“No, she died a long time ago.”
~*~
Bane closed his eyes for a moment. He felt a strange something in his chest when she told him Grace was gone. It was almost as if his heart had skipped a beat or something. It didn’t make sense to him but he didn’t pay too much attention to it. When he opened them, he pinned Cricket with the glare. “How did she die?”
“She had breast cancer. I was six when she died,” Cricket whispered after she had seen the flare of hatred in his eyes for a moment before he blanked it out. She dared to ask, “Did you know my mother?”
Bane nodded shortly. “Yes, I knew her.” He paused then smiled cruelly. “She was my wife.”
Cricket scrambled back on her chair. The look on her face was one of pure horror. “That’s a lie,” she whispered.
Bane shrugged. “Grace and I have been married for just over thirty years. I can show you the marriage license if you like.”
Cricket shook her head. “She was married to Orrin.”
Bane got to his feet and snarled as he leaned toward her face. “She was never married to Orrin. She belonged to me and only me.”
“I don’t believe you.” Cricket backed away from the table. “You would say anything to tear my father apart right now. You’re the liar.”
“I may be a lot of things, but I never lie.’ Bane straig
htened his posture. “Orrin on the other hand lied and cheated every chance he got.”
“May I ask how you knew Orrin?” Deke asked.
Bane turned and lifted one corner of his mouth. “Orrin was my brother and he stole my Grace away from me a long time ago.”
Cricket backed away from him another step or two. She turned to run but Bane caught her wrist and he refused to let her go. He jerked her closer to him and Cricket cried out in pain as she slammed into his chest.
“You and I need to talk about some things,” he told her quietly. His fingers gripped her. “Let’s find some place we can talk.”
The man standing behind her stepped closer fury in his eyes. “You need to let go of her.”
Bane looked up and narrowed his eyes. “This isn’t your business.”
Raine looked furious. “It is.”
Cricket looked panicked as tears ran down her face. She twisted and pushed against his chest to break his hold over her. “Please Raine stay out of this?”
Raine kept glaring at Bane.
“Stand down Raine,” Deke ordered.
Raine still had clenched fists but he took a step back.
Bane finally let go.
She shook her head. “I have nothing to say to you.”
“But I have things to say to you. Let’s find a place to talk.”
“No.” Cricket shook her head. “We can talk here.”
Bane looked around the room. “Are you sure you want to involve them?”
Cricket nodded.
Bane glared at the room and everyone in it. “This is between you and I. If you involve them, they are in it until the end and it may not end the way you want it to. Think about that before you stay here. Now do we stay here or find somewhere private we can talk?”
Cricket shook her head. “I want them to hear what you have to say. They knew Orrin and I have nothing to hide.”
Bane’s lips tightened in his rage. The only sign he gave was to narrow his eyes.
~*~
Cricket stared at him. She saw the same thing in his gaze now as she had when she was five. His eyes looked endless as if he had no soul and that frightened her. He dragged her over to an empty table and sat her down. “How long have you been in this hovel?” He looked around the room with nothing kind in his eyes for the accommodations.
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