by Jamie Begley
“With the money Manny gave her, she bought little trinkets for the other children and herself in the market. He taught her to hide her purchases and made her promise not to tell our parents or me, or he wouldn’t take her again.
“She was fascinated with the large yachts that were docked at Sherguevil Island.” T.A. gave a small sob but kept going. “If she won the game, Manny told her she would be able to help the other children buy the big boat for the village.”
“Fucking bastard,” Razer groaned, shaking his head.
Reaper could understand Razer’s anger. He had two rambunctious twin boys who would easily have been suckered into doing the same thing.
“Evangeline was a precocious child and wanted to see the boats. She’d always been pointing them out to me. One day there was a large crowd, and she slipped away from Manny. Evangeline told me later that she’d wanted to pick out the best boat for Manny to buy.”
“She managed to get on one of the visiting ships, didn’t she?” Reaper asked, desperately trying to hurry T.A. along.
“Yes. How she did it without one of the ship hands seeing her, I don’t know, but she did … and she took something. Manny must have found her and taken her back to Gyi’s boat.”
Reaper took a step toward her, then stopped himself. “What did she take?”
“I don’t know, and Evangeline doesn’t remember.”
“How does she not remember?”
The expression on T.A.’s face became tortured. “Because of what she witnessed afterward, she blocked the whole thing out. What she does remember is hearing shouts from Gyi and Manny, and the children crying.
“She told me she was terrified and didn’t made a sound when she heard loud noises, but she didn’t know what was happening … until she heard Allerton demanding they return what they’d stolen. When they couldn’t find whatever it was they were searching for, Allerton told Gyi to take the children home, then to come back for Manny. Gyi brought the children back to Clindale, then unknowingly brought Evangeline back to Sherguevil to get Manny. He had no idea Evangeline was on the boat, and worse he had no idea what was waiting for him.
“Evangeline remembers Manny telling her not to come out until he opened the bunk. Even after she heard Gyi and Manny screaming and yelling, she only left the bunk when she smelled smoke. She said Manny saw her and began speaking in his native tongue, but Allerton and his men had just assumed he was begging for his life. He wasn’t; he was saving hers. He instructed Ginny to use the cargo net to climb down and swim home.”
T.A. started shaking, and Reaper started sweating. Manny telling a three-year-old to swim home by herself rather than letting her expose herself to Allerton showed the level of danger Ginny had been in.
“It was a miracle she survived. If most of her days hadn’t been spent in the water, she wouldn’t have. If the water hadn’t been calm that day, if she hadn’t been so terrified ….” T.A. moaned, crossed her arms over her chest, and started rocking as if she was holding Evangeline in her arms.
“Mom came running into our home holding onto a soaking wet Evangeline, telling us that one of the men from the village had found her in the ocean. She was so young and hysterical, I couldn’t understand anything she said. Mom dried Evangeline off and put her to bed, making me swear not to say anything. I’ve never understood why my mom made me keep quiet about what had happened that day.
“The next day, Gyi and Manny hadn’t come back, and the whole Island was upset. The islanders came to our house that morning wanting my father to go to Allerton to ask for his help in searching for them. They’d innocently believed something happened on the ride back from Sherguevil. Mom didn’t let us leave her side as Dad and the islanders went to the speak to Allerton. When Dad came back, he told us Allerton had sent his men to help the villagers search for Gyi’s boat. The boat, Gyi, and Manny were never found.
“A day later our parents came into my room and told me that they were sending Evangeline and me to our grandmother’s for Christmas. I didn’t want to leave my parents, but they told me I had to pretend to want to go in order to save Evangeline.”
T.A.’s voice became whisper-soft as she told them what her mother had told her. “They were afraid Allerton would find out Evangeline had been on the boat that day. They were frightened one of the island children would let it slip that Evangeline had been there. Our parents told me to find out what Evangeline took and where she had hidden it, then they could return it and we could come home and be a family again, but whatever we did, we were not to tell our grandmother what happened.
“Mom and Dad took us to Sherguevil Island the next morning to catch a plane back to the States. My mother had put Evangeline and me on the plane, and it was ready to take off when I looked out the window and saw Allerton arrive just as we were taxing off. I still see his face … I have never been so scared in my life.” T.A. continued rocking, her mind clearly wanting to hold onto Ginny the only way she could.
“The whole time we were with our grandmother, I expected us to go back to Clindale. I was sick to my stomach with fear, because I knew Allerton would be there when we went back. While I wanted to be with my parents, I remember thinking on that trip that something with my mom wasn’t right. She’d been withdrawn and used every opportunity to pawn us off, and Dad was gone more often than he was there, and when they were both home all they did was fight. The day Manny saved Evangeline from drowning I saw an expression on my mother’s face that made me sick to my stomach. I never told Evangeline but I never fully trusted my mother after that, and I don’t think my dad either.
“Every day, our father would call my grandmother’s and ask me if Evangeline remembered anything. Each time, I told him no. Two days before Christmas, our grandmother took us out Christmas shopping. When we were in the store, I was looking at tops for my dad while my grandmother was with Evangeline across the store. A man approached me and said his name was Garrick, and he was there to help me and Evangeline. I was so scared, I didn’t know what to do. I looked for my grandmother, but I couldn’t see her. Then he said, ‘hot coconuts,’ and I knew my father had sent him. It was the secret word my dad had taught me.
“The man told me what would happen if Evangeline and I went back to Clindale, and if I wanted to keep Evangeline alive, I had to do everything he told me. Again, I was sworn to secrecy. When our parents called that night, my dad asked if I missed having hot coconuts. I spent Christmas Day knowing that every moment I spent with Evangeline was precious, because she was going to be taken away from me.” Tears streamed down T.A.’s cheeks.
“How did they make Evangeline disappear?”
It took Dalton kneeling down next to T.A., gathering her close to his side, to give T.A. the strength to answer.
“A plane crash. We went down in a plane crash in the ocean. I survived, and Evangeline died that day.”
Chapter Four
“Jesus,” Lucky muttered, breaking the silence.
Reaper looked to Shade’s father, Will, and Jonas. “Why did the FBI fly you two into Treepoint and have you brought to the courthouse?”
Jonas gave voice to the fury that had been brewing on his face since he’d walked into the courtroom. “I was brought in because fucking Hammer knew I would have stopped him if I knew he was going with Ginny without me. I was leaving our house to get a client released on bond when I was waylaid by the FBI. I’m in the dark just as much as you.”
Reaper then looked to Will, who made no effort to hide his concern for Ginny.
“I had just gotten out of bed when they came knocking on my door.” Will paused as if he was thinking before answering the question. “My guess is Hammer made that part of the bargain for Jonas and myself to be there at the courthouse so we’d be able help if you need us.”
“The FBI bringing Jonas into the loop is understandable, but why you?” Rider questioned what was on everyone’s mind.
“I was the one who asked Freddy to take Ginny in and raise her as his own.” The for
mer sheriff and retired officer had to clear his several throat times as he spoke. “Twenty-one years ago, Hammer called and asked me to meet him—told me to be on the down-low and make sure no one followed me or knew where I was going. When I met him, he had Ginny, who was a little spot of nothing, and told me to find a safe place to hide her. And before you ask, that’s pretty much all he told me, other than Allerton would kill her and anyone who knew about her if she was found.”
Reaper felt his phone vibrate with a text message. Time was running out.
“Viper, go to the club and pack me a duffle bag with clothes and what you think I’ll need,” Reaper ordered. “I’ll meet you at the airport in ten minutes.”
Viper strode over to his bike.
Reaper turned back to Will. “Hammer asked you to hide a child and you didn’t ask him any fucking questions?” Reaper asked harshly, his stomach churning at what Ginny had gone through as a child.
When Shade made a move toward Reaper, Will reached out to touch his son’s arm. “It’s okay.” Will shook his head at Shade before turning back to Reaper.
“Hammer wouldn’t have asked if it wasn’t a matter of life or death for Ginny. How she ended up in Hammer’s hands showed me two things: someone important trusted her with him, and they knew him well enough to know that Hammer would give his life to protect her. Hammer pulled my fat ass out of the fire enough times for me to trust him implicitly if shit hit the fan.”
Reaper admitted he did too.
“In the years since then, you never discussed Ginny with Hammer again?” Reaper couldn’t believe the two men had never connected again.
“Twice. Once when I called to try to convince him to let Rachel and me keep her before I gave her to Freddy.”
Shade’s usually impassive face turned into one of surprise at his father’s answer.
“And the second was when Ginny called me, begging me to make Hammer let her stay with the Colemans. Our conversations were short, and he never gave me any more information than he did the first time I took her, and his answer was the same both times—no.”
Shade moved closer to his father. “If you wanted to keep her, to raise her yourself, why did you listen to Hammer and give her to Freddy?”
“If it was only me, I would have,” Will admitted. “But there was a connection that could be traced between me and Hammer. I had to put Rachel, you, and Penni’s safety first.”
“Why did you pick Freddy Coleman?”
Reaper was glad Shade had asked the question and not him. The Coleman brothers were glaring at Shade as if he’d insulted their father.
“You ever have the opportunity to see Freddy with his kids when he came to town?” Will asked his son.
“No,” Shade answered. He had never met the man.
“Exactly. If you had, you wouldn’t ask me that question. Freddy loved his kids, and they loved him back. He didn’t have a mean bone in his body; he homeschooled his children and had promised to let me see Ginny once a week.”
“You love Ginny,” Reaper stated out loud.
Will’s face broke, and he had to lift a shaky hand to cover his expression. It took a full minute for him to gather himself before he told them, “She begged to stay with me; called me Papa Will when I took her to live with the Wests. Yes, I love her. She’s as much as a daughter to me as Shade is a son. Whatever plan you have, include me. I’m going with you.”
Reaper shook his head. “You can’t. It’ll be a fucking miracle if I can reach her in time.”
Another text on his phone came in. “I have to go. Where’s Silas?”
“He’s behind the shop,” Moses told him. “With Fynn.”
As he walked away, he heard Shade talking to his father. “You never breathed a word to me, even when she worked for The Last Riders or when she moved away.”
“I actually thought one of you boys would be smart enough to snap her up. It’s good to see one of you finally got his head out of his ass.” Will’s voice deepened with emotion. “I always knew Gavin was the smartest one of you.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
Will didn’t miss his son’s sarcasm and gave it back. “You’re welcome.”
Reaper would have laughed at the play between father and son—if he wasn’t flying toward a man who wanted to kill Ginny.
Walking around Matthew and Isaac’s shop, he came to a stop at seeing what Silas and Fynn were doing. They had their hands lifted toward the sky, making movements in the air.
“Is it working?” Reaper spoke softly so as not to disturb their concentration.
Neither Silas nor Fynn stopped their movements as Silas answered, “Yes, for now. The winds will only do what I ask for so long before they become too bored or angry to listen anymore.”
“I just wanted to tell you I’m leaving, and I’ll have Lucky keep you informed.”
“Before you go, Ginny left you something on the kitchen table.” Silas didn’t look at him as he spoke, but from the look on his face, Reaper knew what Ginny had left.
Fury had him quickly turning on his heel, and then he stormed toward the house, ignoring the looks from the men and women outside. Seeing the small package neatly wrapped, sitting on an envelope, he reached for both, gripping them tightly in his hands before turning back around. Ginny leaving him a good-bye present expressed more than words—she didn’t expect to see him again.
“Cash, drive me to the airport. Rider, Shade, ride with us.”
The four men hurried toward Cash’s truck.
Reaper spared a minute to stop in front of T.A. “If you think of anything else I need to know, tell Lucky; he’ll get the information to me.”
T.A. lifted her anguished eyes to his. “Evangeline was hurt that she wasn’t the first to know I’m pregnant. Tell her I just found out the sex of the baby … Tell her … I’m not telling anyone until I tell her first.”
Reaper wanted to reach out to give her a comforting hand, which would was a normal reaction at seeing someone in pain—before his captivity—and now the action was alien to him. But T.A.’s relationship with Ginny had him wanting to comfort her … just to have a moment’s connection to a part of Ginny. Cognizant of the virus, though, he restrained himself. He would not put a pregnant woman in harm’s way. Even if the Pegivirus CP-20 was only blood-borne, they were still being extra cautious.
Instead he said, “I can’t believe none of us realized you were sisters.”
T.A. gave a shuddering laugh. “No one was looking for it. Wait until you see her without her hair dye and contacts.”
Reaper shook his head at her. “Do I even know Ginny at all?”
Sex Piston laid a hand on T.A.’s shoulder, preventing her from speaking. “Evangeline never hid the most important part—her heart.”
He unconsciously took a step back. “You all knew?”
“She knew we would have her back,” Sex Piston snapped at him. “Just like we’ve had T.A.’s. Make sure you bring the little bitch back, or we’re going to fuck you up ….” Sex Piston lost the full effect of her threat when she turned her face away.
“I’ll bring her back,” he swore through gritted teeth, walking back toward the truck. “She might not be able to sit for a week when I’m done with her, but she’s coming back.”
Reaper hadn’t thought the women could hear his threat, but Sex Piston had excellent hearing.
“Save some of that ass for me!” she shouted. “I’m going to—”
Inside the truck, Reaper slammed the door shut on whatever she was saying.
Fuck, now he was going to have to go gentle on her ass, knowing Sex Piston and her crew were going to take their own turns walloping her for scaring the hell out of them.
As Cash backed out the driveway, neatly avoiding the onslaught of motorcycles, Reaper turned around to face Rider and Shade in the back seat. Holding onto the back of the seat as Cash forced his truck down the road, tires squealing, he stared at Shade. “What I’m about to ask is shitty of me,” he began. “You’ve got
Lily and kids, and I’ve been a dick to you since I was freed, but I’m going to ask anyway.”
Holding onto the door handle to keep himself from being flung into the front seat as Cash whipped around, blowing through a red light, Shade tightened jaw before he seethed out, “We’ve got three minutes before we’re at the airport; quit blowing smoke up my ass and tell me what you need.”
Reaper knew he didn’t deserve his friends. He never had.
He shook the morose thought out of his head. He wasn’t going back down that fucking road again. He was going to take advantage of what he had available to him, and Shade was more than an advantage; he was the elite in a category of men, who could name their own price to get a job done, and Shade didn’t fail.
Reaper was still outlining what he needed when Cash brought the truck to a stop only feet away from where Train’s chopper sat on the helipad with its blades whirling overhead. The four men jumped out of the truck. Reaper had been so intent on talking to Shade that he hadn’t noticed the rest of the brothers had been following behind on their bikes.
Stopping beside the truck, Viper got out of his SUV, carrying a duffel bag. Reaper was taking it from him when Knox pulled up next to them in his squad car, lights flashing. Getting out of the car, Knox handed him a yellow envelope.
“All the paperwork you need is in there.”
“Thanks, Knox.” He’d have time later to appreciate whatever strings it took for Knox to get him legal marriage certificates in less than an hour.
Knox held his hand out to him, and Reaper took it, finding himself pulled into a bear hug.
“Make sure you bring your asses home.”
“I will,” Reaper said, giving the brother a hug back before pulling away.
Looping the strap of the duffel bag over his shoulder, he mimicked Knox’s show of affection, pulling Viper close. “Thanks, bro.”
“Anytime. That’s what I’m here for.” Viper hugged him back.
When Viper released him from the tight hug, he took a step toward Rider so he could be heard over the sound of the helicopter. “You once offered to have my back, and when I didn’t take it, I paid for my stupidity with ten years of my life. I don’t want to make the same mistake twice. I need your help.”