“Did you call it in?”
“Yeah, man, told everyone to get up here. They aren’t far behind.”
Carlos turns on the light inside the cruiser, and I twist in the seat. Sitting next to me is the woman, and she has a knife sticking out of her chest.
My fight or flight instinct kicks in, and I’m out of the car so fast and running toward the road. Carlos can’t catch me, I can hear him yelling, but I keep running. A set of headlights blinds me but still, I keep running. I keep running until I hit the front of the truck with so much force it winds me and sends me crashing to the ground. Not wanting to be caught, I crawl under it as a group of people get out.
“Jesus! Was that Izzy? Did I just hit Izzy?” asks a female in a high-pitched voice.
I feel hands on me, and I scream loudly.
“Izzy, it’s me. Tommy. Babe, I need you to calm down.”
Tommy?
My Tommy?
I must be dead.
This is my last thought as darkness finally takes me.
Carlos
My only thought was to get Izzy to the hospital. The others scoured the countryside looking for Francis Cantrill but never found him. They even got dogs in to follow his trail. He went through the woods to another dirt road, and that’s where the dogs lost his scent. It’s thought he had another car waiting there. We have an APB out for his arrest, and more FBI agents came to town with the murder of Special Agent Jennifer Argos. Wilson took over as lead investigator, but as the night turned into day, I knew we’d lost him.
Izzy has numerous stab wounds. Many are shallow, but the worst of them are around her tattoos, especially the one on her arm. They have had her sedated, cleaned her up, and even did a rape kit, but it came back negative. She’s sleeping now, but her brow is furrowed, and occasionally she jumps and cries out. They found another body outside the barn. Her throat had been cut, and as of yet, no one knows who she is.
The scene at the barn in daylight must be one of horror. The four MC who were with Argos are all dead, and one of the men who was with me was knocked out. This must have happened when Francis made his escape. He’s lucky. I’m guessing Francis didn’t want to make too much noise, and with his knife buried in Argos’ chest, he only had a gun which would have alerted us to his position.
I’m sitting holding Izzy’s hand, thankful to the man upstairs that she’s still alive. I hear someone clear their throat and turn to find one of the bikers from Vegas standing in the doorway.
“Is she going to be okay?”
“Yeah. Doc says she’ll be sore for a while, but nothing is life-threatening.”
“She’s one tough chick, always was.”
“Tommy Pritchard?” He nods. “She doesn’t belong to you anymore.”
“I know you made that clear.”
He walks to the other side of the bed and pushes her hair gently off her face. “It wasn’t that I didn’t love her, you need to let her know.”
“Why’d you leave like you did? She thought you were dead.”
“Izzy loves with her whole heart.” He’s staring at her fondly. “I came from old money. My family didn’t approve of her, they never did.” Tommy smiles, ruefully. “She was worth a dozen of them.” Tommy looks at me. “You see the problem with my life was, it was all mapped out for me. I was supposed to take over the family business, marry a good woman, and live in that shitty little town for the rest of my life. Izzy was the one vice, I couldn’t give her up. So my father gave me an ultimatum, Izzy or the money.” He shakes his head and looks back at her. “I felt hemmed in. I didn’t want to let my father down, and I didn’t want to give Izzy up. One day I got in my car and drove. I kept going all the way to Vegas. I put my father, Izzy, and Black Ridge out of my head, and I became someone new. I have no ties. The MC took me in, gave me a purpose, gave me a life, but this time it was a life I’d chosen and not one that was forced upon me. In retrospect, I would’ve made her miserable. I didn’t want to be tied down and rot in some small town.”
“Coward,” I state.
Tommy turns his lips down at the corners and nods. “Guess I didn’t love her the way she loved me. A part of me will always love Izzy, but I don’t want that life. Maybe one day, I will.” He shrugs and walks for the door. “Tell her I’m glad she’s alive and to let Tommy Pritchard die. I’m Grunt now. I’m happy now.”
“You keep telling yourself that. She deserved better.”
Tommy grins, points at me, and shakes his finger then leaves the room. I sit there staring at the place he was standing for a long time. The man was a fool. He gave up on the one person who wouldn’t have given up on him. I don’t doubt in my mind if he’d asked her, she would have left with him.
I look back at Izzy’s hand in mine, and she squeezes it. My eyes travel to her face where tears well.
“Thank God,” I say as I stand and kiss her forehead. “You’re safe, honey. You’re in the hospital in Pearl County.”
“I did deserve better. I’m so sorry, Carlos, I’m so sorry.” Tears fall down her cheeks, and I brush them away and kiss her lightly.
“Why are you, sorry? You have nothing to be sorry for.”
“I knew you’d find me. I prayed for it. I shouldn’t have doubted you over Zeke. I let you down.”
“No, no, no, love. You didn’t. I was an ass. I should have stood up to the FBI better than I did. You were right. The main thing is you’re okay.”
“Francis? Did you kill him?”
I shake my head. “No, he got away.”
Izzy shakes her head from side to side, fear in her beautiful brown eyes. “How?”
“We think he had another car stashed not too far from the barn. Don’t worry, we’ll get him. For now, you’re safe, and that’s all that matters.”
Izzy tries to sit up, and pain flashes across her features. She holds up her arm and looks at the spot where her tattoo was.
“He kept tracing the lines of my tattoo. He kept sticking me with that knife.” Her pain-filled, terrified eyes look at me. “He planned to kill me, to rape me. He’s mad, Carlos. You have to find him.”
I nod and sit, keeping her fingers pressed to my lips. “Sleep, honey. Don’t you worry. We’ll get him.”
Izzy nods, but I’m not sure she believes me.
A nurse enters the room. “You’re awake? A lot of people have been worried about you. How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine, a little sore.”
“She’s a lot sore, ma’am. If you could give her something for the pain?” I ask.
The nurse nods and leaves the room.
“I’m okay, Carlos, I’m scared to sleep. I see him when I close my eyes.”
“I promise you that bastard won’t get anywhere near you. He’ll have to go through me. And Izzy… that ain’t happening.”
The nurse comes back into the room and injects something into Izzy’s IV. Within five minutes, her eyes flutter closed. She still twitches in her sleep and cries out, so I move her over on the bed and lie next to her. I pull her into me, cradling her in my arms and after a time, she stills, and with a sigh, her cries stop.
This is when I know, without a doubt, this woman is mine.
Carlos
There’s a line no law enforcement officer should or would cross. I have spent the last few weeks making Izzy feel safe, loved, and nursing her back to health. The FBI has moved out of my town. All tensions within Tourmaline and its citizens are slowly going back to normal.
I’m sitting in an SUV with a hood over my head. Kade is driving. It has taken over an hour to get to our destination. I am sure he drove around to confuse me, so I’ll never find my way back here. When we arrive, he pulls the hood off. There are a few men waiting for Zeke, Dane, Jonas, and me. All have somber faces as they wait for me to get out of the car and join them. None of us say anything as we walk into the barn. There’s plastic on the floor, and I wonder how many times they have done this. But today, I’m leaving my badge at the door.
Tied to a chair in the middle of the room is Francis. His face is bruised and bloody, and when we get closer, he smiles at us.
“Kade! Brother, how are you?”
Kade frowns and shakes his head. I ignore his comment and look around the building. It’s an old barn. The woodwork is spectacular. There’s an underlying smell of bleach and cleansers. I glance at Dane, who’s staring at Francis like he’s prey. A small shiver goes down my spine.
The night we found Izzy, Dane’s boys found Francis. He only managed to knock one of them out before the other two overpowered him and dragged him off into the night. The Savage Angels MC has a code they live by. You kill one of them, they decimate you. There was no way they were going to let Francis live after he managed to kill four of them.
“Sheriff, are you here to arrest me?”
I shake my head. “No, Francis. I’m here to watch you bleed to make sure you never hurt another woman, and then I’m going to go home, hug my woman, and never think about you again.”
The smile on his face fades, and he looks to his brother. “You won’t let them hurt me, will you, Kade?”
“You’re sick, Francis. Sick in a way that there’s no cure. How many women have you killed? I know if you go to trial, you’ll use insanity as a defense and go to a mental facility. We both know how smart you are. It won’t be long before you escape and go back to your sick, twisted ways. I love you, Francis, and this, this is a kindness.”
“Do you want to tell us about the women you killed?” I ask hoping he’ll divulge some of their names.
Francis slowly drags his eyes away from his brother and looks at me. “Why would I do that?”
“To give their families closure.”
Francis laughs and shakes his head. “I’m not interested in giving them closure.” I look back to Kade. “What if I promise to be good?”
Kade looks at Zeke with a pained expression, and he steps forward. “Francis, I can see you’re not getting this.” Zeke crouches in front of him. “You’re in the barn. It’s the place we come to dispose of problems. Francis, there’s no escape from here. If you need to expel any demons before we end your life, now’s the time.”
“You. You took him from me. He was my brother. Mine. And he chose you,” screams Francis, spittle flying from his lips.
“No, Francis, it was you and Dad who drove me away after Mom died. I was lost, and I needed you both, but all you talked about was money and position. I didn’t care about any of that. I needed my family, and you two pushed me away.”
Francis’ eyes go wide, and he laughs crazily at Kade.
“Enough,” bellows Dane. “I’ve heard enough.” He looks at me. “He’s not going to give you anything. And Kade, he’s blood, but he isn’t your family. I doubt he ever was.”
Jonas steps forward. “Do you have any last words?”
Francis looks at him, confused. “You’re not going to arrest me?”
“No, Francis. You killed four of ours, you killed women who were precious to us, and you hurt Izzy. For all of this, you will die.” Kade stares at his brother with sadness, but there’s steel in his eyes.
“I have a safe deposit box in LA at the Bank of Independence. The key for it is in my desk at home in my old room. Go open it. See what I’ve left you, brother.”
“That’s it. That’s all you have to say?” asks Kade.
“That, and I’ll see you all in hell.”
Kade nods, and Dane motions for me to leave the barn. I do an about-face and head for the door. It’s funny how people think silencers are quiet, but in real life they are loud. I hear many shots and keep walking. I don’t need to see who’s doing the shooting. All I know is I’ll sleep better knowing this monster is dead.
Kade
I’m dressed in a suit and tie with Destiny on my arm as we walk into the Bank of Independence. No one really pays us much attention. We step straight up to the service desk where an older, polished-looking woman diverts her attention from her computer screen to us with a huge smile on her face.
“Welcome to the Bank of Independence. How may I be of service today?”
I hold up the gold key. “I was hoping to get into the safe deposit boxes.”
Destiny smiles at the woman who immediately stands. “Of course, sir, come this way.”
The woman walks beside us and takes us down three levels in an elevator.
“It’s not often I get to come down here. Most of our customers who have boxes on this level don’t come in very often.”
“How do you know what level we’re on?” asks Destiny.
“The color of your key. It’s reserved for our most important customers. I hope I’m not overstepping, but it indicates you have what I like to call old money. Back in the day, only a few families were given boxes as a way to say thank you for banking with us. Of course, now, we charge you a pretty penny, but the gold keys are from a different era.”
“My mother was Felicity Cantrill previously Felicity Astor.”
The woman gasps and looks so pleased with herself. “I’ve met your brother. He took over your mother’s safe deposit box not long after she died.” The woman looks at me for a moment and tries to seem sincere. “Terrible tragedy, my condolences.”
“It was a long time ago.”
The door opens, and she proceeds to take us into the vaulted area. A guard pays us little attention as she moves us into a small room. There are only fifty boxes in here. The woman holds out her hand for the key, and I give it to her. She glances at it and smiles. “Number two.” She hands it back and points to the box.
All the boxes in here are larger than I’d have thought they would be. I place the key in the lock, and she puts another key in next to it. We both turn them at the same time. She pulls out her key and smiles. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Cantrill. I’ll leave you to it.” She walks out of the room and closes the door.
I stare at the box, not knowing if I want to see what’s inside of it. Destiny reaches up and pulls it out of the wall. The weight of it takes her by surprise, and I dive forward, and we both carry it to the table in the center of the room. There’s a small overhang on one side, and Destiny uses this to open the box.
It’s filled with drivers’ licenses, necklaces, rings, and even hair samples. I back away from it.
“It’s his fucking trophies,” I whisper, disgusted once again with my brother.
Destiny nods and picks up a metal box that is inside the safe deposit box. It takes up half of it. She opens it, and I recognize the contents immediately. It’s my mother’s jewelry. Family heirlooms that have been handed down through the years. My mother, and I suppose myself, descended from the first millionaire in the United States. Our ancestor made his money first in furs and later in real estate. Some of these pieces are hundreds of years old.
Inside is also a small book, and I reach for it. It’s her diary. I always wondered what happened to it. I open the pages and look at her fancy handwriting. She had beautiful penmanship, so unlike my scrawl.
“Are you okay?” asks Destiny.
I sigh and scrub a hand over my face. “Yeah. I guess we can give all of this to Carlos. The jewelry is yours. It would have gone to Francis’ wife, but as he never married, it’s yours and will one day be handed down to either our daughter or son’s wife.”
“What if we have a boy and a girl?”
“You can decide who gets what, it’s always been this way. Obviously, it has to stay in the family, so if you divorce me, I get it back.”
“Who says I’m divorcing you, buddy?”
“I guess we should get married first and worry about that later.”
Destiny kisses me and puts her oversized bag on the counter. “I don’t want Francis’ trophies in my bag, but what else can we do?”
I look around the room and spy a wastebasket with a plastic liner. I take it out and walk back to her.
“Take my mother’s box out, and I’ll pour the rest of the contents into the bag. I don’t wa
nt to touch them.”
“Me either,” agrees Destiny with a nod.
When we have emptied the safe deposit box and replaced it in the wall, I take the now heavy bag from Destiny and head for the exit.
The security guard nods at us. “Have a nice day.”
“You, too,” replies Destiny.
We get in the small elevator, and Destiny links her arm with mine. Neither of us say anything on our trip up and out of the bank.
Once outside, I look at my woman. “What do you want to do?”
“How about we take Renny out on the town? I’ve never been to LA, and I’m sure he hasn’t either. Maybe we could invite your dad, too?”
My father was pleased when we came to visit. He has no idea Francis is dead, choosing to believe he escaped. Clifford denies to anyone and everyone that Francis had anything to do with those murdered women. I guess it’s hard to believe your son could be capable of such atrocities right under your nose. With Francis gone, he seems desperate to make amends with me. And that means Destiny too. There are no more snide remarks, and when we asked if Renny could stay as well, he appeared to be overjoyed. Though, I imagine Renny scares him with his quiet demeanor.
Renny is leaning on the car with his head tilted back, the sun on his face. Ever since he got out, he’s been making up for lost time with Destiny. He doesn’t say much, and transitioning to the outside world has been difficult for him.
As if he has a sixth sense, he lowers his head and watches us approach.
“All good?”
“Yeah, Renny, all good. What do you want to do?”
Renny shrugs and opens the door for Destiny.
“I’m easy.”
“Well, I want to go to all the touristy places. Kade, you can be our guide.”
I smile at her, and once Renny has closed the door, I groan.
Savage Life Page 16