I growl loudly but tell myself that Jett is right, even if I don’t think he is.
“Gabe, get Trace, we need to find anything and everything we can on Riff Carter.” Gabe nods once and leaves to find Trace. “Now, we need a fuckin’ airtight plan, brother, because we ain’t losing one of our own.”
“Jett’s right, we do this properly.” Tank’s deep voice rumbles through me.
I shudder and close my eyes. Wynter must be so frightened right now. I wonder where Riff has taken Wynter and if she’s hurt. I wonder if she even knows what’s going on.
I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose Wynter, and there’s a big chance of that becoming a reality. If what Julian told us is anything to go by, at least.
Riff Carter doesn’t just kill his victims; he tortures them to death. Innocent people lose their lives because of one man’s desire to punish a rapist. Doesn’t that sick little freak understand how much pain John Anderson’s rape victims have already suffered? Why put them through more hell?
None have survived Riff Carter, so why should I believe Wynter and Spring would be the exception? I don’t know, but I can’t give up until I find my wife.
Never give up, Havoc.
I don’t intend to.
“There’s something else,”
“What more could there be?” Wrench fires at Julian.
“John Anderson escaped from prison this morning.”
The bottom just dropped out of my world.
Fuck!
Chapter Twenty-One
Spring
I shudder from the cold breeze blowing through the dank room. I don’t know who the fuck the idiot who kidnapped me is, but he’s a real ugly fucker.
How is it right for a woman to be kidnapped twice in as many weeks?
The asshole promised to kill me, but he hasn’t come through yet. Sure, I’m scared, how could I not be? But I won’t show fear if I can help it.
He left me here an hour ago, and, of course, I tried to find a way out of here. However, the window is barred, and the door is locked from the outside. I kicked the shit out of it, but it got me nowhere.
He came back a while later and threw my sister at my feet. The piece of shit had kidnapped Wynter from her friend’s wedding. I don’t know how he managed to take us both in full view, but my uncle won’t be pleased when he realizes the men he has watching me let this happen a second time.
I don’t know what the nameless man did to Wynter, but she doesn’t look right. She’s pale, and I’m scared he’s caused her some real damage.
“Wynter?” I crouch down in front of my sister and take her face in my hands. I lift her head, and she groans while trying to look at me. Wynter’s eyes are glass, and I realize he must have hit her across the head. Bastard!
“Spring?”
“Yeah, it’s me. Wynter, can you get up?” Wynter doesn’t answer me. She can neither see me well enough to read my lips nor hear what I’m saying.
I sit down on the filthy floor and wrap my arm around Wynter’s shoulders. Her head falls against my shoulder with a groan. I kiss her head and tell her, “Everything will be okay,” Even though she can’t hear me, and I don’t have a clue if it will be. “Somehow, it will be.”
It isn’t long before the guy comes back. He leans his ass back against the lone desk in this small room and smirks at me. My stomach turns over, and I can feel the urge to vomit. God, he’s vile looking. He looks like he’s not washed in weeks. His hair is greasy, his clothes are filthy, and he smells disgusting. I don’t know how old he is, nor do I care, but he looks to be in his late forties.
He’s probably much younger, Spring. All that filth is more than likely making him look older.
“Look what we have here, the bastard twins of John Anderson.” I might have known it would have something to do with John.
“Let me guess,” I shift where I sit. “John raped your mother years ago, and now you want us dead to punish him?”
The freak laughs while clapping his hands. “You really are the smart one!”
“You do realize that John won’t care what you do to us. I’m his daughter, and he shot me and left me for dead.”
The guy is silent for a few minutes. I shudder when he stares at me, not once looking away. The man doesn’t even blink.
I do not want to die here. I want to go home to my little boy, my little miracle son. My pregnancy with Matthew was not easy, and I almost lost him twice. I fought hard to carry him until I gave birth at thirty weeks. I promised my son the day he was born that I would never leave him, and I don’t intend to.
“What’s your name?” Maybe I can keep him talking long enough for Julian to figure out where I am.
I have every faith in you, Uncle Julian. I know you’ll find us because I know you won’t stop until you do.
“Riff,” He tells me reluctantly. “I’m your half-brother.”
My mouth hangs open in shock. Brother? This moron cannot be related to me! I didn’t even know John had another child. He never once mentioned anything, and I lived with the man for fourteen years.
Riff laughs at the shock written all over my face. “Yeah, little Miss Perfect, I’m the firstborn rape child of John Anderson. You and your sister here,” He tips his head to Wynter, who looks at Riff through glassy eyes. “Will soon be joining our dearly departed siblings.”
Siblings?
What the hell is going on?
Just how many children does John have?
Riff walks over to me, grabs my arm, and drags me to my feet. I’m trying so hard to pull away from him because my left hand is on Wynter’s head. She’s struggling to keep it up, and I don’t want her to fall and hit her head.
“Please let me lay her down.”
Riff huffs and continues dragging me, and I have no choice but to let Wynter slump to the ground. Riff pulls me over to the table where a bunch of headshots are laid out. I scan them, and I see Riff, myself, and Wynter amongst a handful of other people. I assume they’re our siblings.
“Now, listen carefully, little sister, for I shall say this only once.” He laughs at himself, and my stomach is churning. “I came first,” He points to the picture of his much younger self. “Forty-three years ago, John Anderson raped my nineteen-year-old mother and forced her to lie about her pregnancy to anyone she knew. You see, John only raped women without families of their own. Girls fresh out of the system, girls living alone, etc. Those women had no one to turn to, no support, and it was easier for John to manipulate them.” He shrugs.
I feel sick as I look at the photos of my half-siblings. Each one is dark-haired like John, apart from Wynter and I, who stick out like a sore thumb with white hair.
“My mother never made a secret of the fact that she hated me for who my father was. As if it was my fault, she was raped.” He laughs sardonically. “She only kept me because John made damn sure she couldn’t give me up. That and he threatened her with a fate worse than death. Why he cared, I’ll never know when he couldn’t be bothered to be a father. Fuckin’ dumb bitch mother of mine was terrified of a man she’d never see again after I was born. That, dear sister, is some power.”
I don’t give two shits about this man’s story. Yeah, it’s sad that John caused him so much pain. However, the only thing I care about right now is getting to my sister and making sure she’s okay.
“My mother eventually killed herself. Once she was out of the way, I decided to end John Anderson’s entire bloodline.”
“So you did your homework, found his kids, and what?”
My skin crawls when Riff leans into me and whispers in my ear. “I killed them.” My heart is in my throat, and I’m scared to swallow.
Riff pulls away from me and points to the picture next to his. “This is Daliah, six months my junior, and this is Andrew, Anthony, Paul, Greg, Ricky, and Aaron. I found most of them quickly, though I’ll admit, finding Ricky and Aaron took some time. Their mother’s abandoned them and ran away. Ricky and Aaron were adopted by t
he same couple, which made things a lot easier.”
I swallow hard. I don’t want to know what Riff did to those poor people, and I hope he doesn’t go into detail. I didn’t even know they existed, but I feel their loss just the same.
“Do you know what fascinates me about you, Spring?”
“No, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me.” I might be scared of this man, but I will not be a victim. This bastard won’t break me.
“You, out of nineteen kids, are the only one John ever gave a shit about.” How the fuck does he even know that? “That poor bitch over there,” He tips his head at Wynter without looking. I turn my eyes to look at her, but she’s gone, and I’m confused. I look at Riff again because I don’t want to draw attention to Wynter being gone. “Meant nothing to John Anderson. So, what’s so special about you, Spring?”
I hold Riff’s gaze. “There’s nothing special about me, Riff. John shot me without a care in the world. He wanted me dead, and I have the scars to prove it.”
I run my tongue over my teeth. “You think you had a hard life, Riff? You don’t know the meaning of hardship. John raped your mother, but he kidnapped mine when she was fifteen years old. He kept her locked in his basement for a year, raping her every day. She gave birth to twins by herself because he wouldn’t take her to the hospital.
“You think you know suffering? You don’t know what suffering is! I lived for fourteen years with that man as a father. He beat and raped my mother non-stop. He treated my sister like shit because she was born deaf. That bastard told my mother and me that he’d killed Wynter and buried her somewhere no one would find her, right before he shot us!”
My blood is boiling, and my eyes feel like they’re about to pop out of my head. I’m so angry that I could strangle him with my bare hands!
Riff laughs and shakes his head. “I couldn’t give a fuck about any of that.” He grabs the back of my neck, and I whimper when he forces me to look at the headshots again. He points to my picture. “You and Wynter got away, thanks to the story put out there of your death. This one,” He points to a young boy, clearly born after Wynter, as it seems these pictures are laid out in order of birth. “This is Joe. He was fun, fought back just as you’re trying to do. Then we have George, Andre, Lloyd, Dean, Cain, Kade, David, and last but not least, little Sally.”
I can’t stop the tear from falling from my eye. Sally couldn’t have been more than thirteen in the picture, and she was the image of John in his younger years. Was that reason enough for her to die?
“They should find her body any day now.” I close my eyes and will myself to keep my emotions in check. “I thought I was almost done until I realized Wynter was still alive. All I needed was to find a way to get near you. Once you were dead, I’d take the evidence to John. Christ, I would have reveled in his misery!”
I scoff and roll my eyes. “You don’t know John at all if you thought he’d care.”
“Oh, he’d care, all right.” Riff grabs my arm and yanks me against his sweaty body. I almost gag at the smell emanating from this man. “Don’t you see? He impregnated all those women so the children would carry on his bloodline.”
I cringe when Riff pulls me closer. Christ knows how I’m still on my feet, and I’m shaking so much, I feel sick.
“I will not rest until every damn person sharing John Anderson’s blood is dead!”
My blood runs cold. Every person? “Riff, did any of our siblings have children?” I send a silent prayer to God that Riff didn’t hurt more people.
“They did. I told you, not one member. Once I’m done with you and your sister, and when your family is lost in grief, I’ll take your little boy and tear him apart.”
“No,” The word falls from my mouth in a shocked whisper. This monster killed young children, and now he’s threatening to kill my Matthew!
Oh God, please help me to survive this man. Please keep my son safe. I’ll do anything it takes to protect the last of my family if only you show me the way.
“I had no idea about John’s brother and his family. Three sons, six grandson’s, a granddaughter, and a beautiful teenage daughter. I’ll enjoy playing with his daughter until I end her life.”
I bite my tongue. I want to tell this man what I’ve heard about Phoenix. Sure, he could kill her the way he could kill any person. However, from what I’ve heard, she’s not your average woman, and this man would have a fight on his hands.
Why is Riff really doing this?
Can one man really be this evil?
John was evil, but this man is something else. Riff can’t possibly get away with killing all of those people. Someone must know who killed John Anderson’s children and grandchildren. Surely the police are looking for him?
If they are, why haven’t they caught him yet?
As for Jack and his family, Riff has no chance. I may have never met any of them, but I’ve heard enough. Plus, I’ve met my brother-in-law, and I know how dangerous Snakes Henchmen MC can be. They can all take care of themselves, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some had killed.
“Where do you come into this?” I yank my arm out of Riff’s grip. There is nothing I can do about what’s already happened. However, I will fight to the death to protect my son. “Why do you, John Anderson’s firstborn bastard son, get to live while the rest of us die?”
Riff smirks and reaches for me, his hands wrapping around my throat, squeezing. I’m fighting for breath, as I fight for my life, but he’s too strong. He screams words that I can no longer hear. I’m losing the fight. I’m going to die here, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.
Just when I think I’m going to lose consciousness, Riff slumps against me, and my hearing zooms in so fast, my sister’s screams of fury are deafening.
My whole body seems to be stuck to the wall, and I can’t take my eyes off Wynter as she brings the metal chair down on Riff’s body again and again. I have to pull myself together and get us out of here.
I grab the chair midair and yank it from Wynter’s hands. “It’s okay,” I drop the chair to the floor and force Wynter to look at me. “We need to get out of here.” I swallow hard past the golf ball lump now stuck in my throat.
“He was going to kill you. I couldn’t let him, Spring,” Wynter gulp back a sob. “I won’t lose you again.”
“I know,” I nod my head and grab Wynter’s hand. We don’t have time to dally right now; we need to go. “Keep up, Wynter, we need to get out of here now.” I open the door and come face to face with the one man I never wanted to see again.
“Hello, girls.”
I swallow hard. “Dad,”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Wynter
Now there’s a face I hoped I’d never see again - John Anderson, in the flesh. How in all of hell did he get out of prison? He went down for life. There’s no way he got parol!
Spring and I are frozen to the spot, staring at the man who fathered us.
“My little girl’s, together again,” John smiles while opening his arms. He wraps them tightly around Spring and me, and I try not to cringe.
Spring clutches my hand tighter, silently telling me everything will be okay. It doesn’t feel like it right now. I’ve never been so scared in all my life as I am right now.
“Have you missed Daddy?” From the corner of my eye, I see Spring nod her head, so I follow suit. John pulls away from us, laughing loudly. “You little liars!” He shakes his head. “You haven’t missed me, but no matter.”
“How did you get out?” I hope I sounded stronger than I feel.
John looks at me and smirks. The monster within this man is still there, still waiting to jump out and scare us to death. “With a little help from a friend.” He looks past us as Riff begins to stir.
My stomach tightens. I thought I’d killed Riff and, I kind of wish I had, but I’m glad I didn’t at the same time.
What the hell is going to happen now?
You’re not getting out of this room alive, Wynter. D
on’t be fooled into thinking Spring will be making it out alive either.
Spring and I share a look – one that tells me to go along with whatever my sister is about to do. I don’t like it, but I have no choice.
“Daddy,” Spring touches John’s arm. He looks at her hand, then her face. “Please don’t let Riff kill us. If you ever loved us, even a tiny bit, then, please.”
John looks from Spring to me, then back again. “You still haven’t worked it out, have you?”
“Worked what out?” The question shot out of my mouth before I could stop it. I know better than that where John is concerned.
However, John simply smiles, and holds his finger up in a wait there, kind of way. John walks past Spring and me, and over to Riff. I watch hi m lean down and place his hand on Riff’s back.
Spring and I could run out of the door right now and get help, yet neither of us moves from the spot we’re standing.
John stands over Riff as he looks up to see our father. “You,” Riff points while scrambling to his feet. “How the hell are you here?”
“A little birdie told me that you were up to your old tricks, Riff.”
I’m shaking cold as I watch the two most evil men I have ever known, exchange words. I have to admit that I’m struggling to keep up with some of the words. My hearing isn’t great from this distance.
I take a deep breath and step a little closer. Spring widens her eyes and shakes her head, but I have to do this, I need to know what they’re saying. Reluctantly, Spring also steps closer.
“Did you really think that because you were locked up, I wouldn’t finish what I started? Don’t make me laugh, old man.”
John scratches his jaw with his thumbnail. “You’ll never get to finish what you started, Riff. It ends tonight along with your life.”
“It ends when they’re dead!”
Spring startles where we stand. I rub my hand up and down her arm, trying to soothe my sister. If Spring feels anything like me right now, her heart is banging so hard it’s about to burst.
Havoc: Snakes Henchmen MC Page 21