Reunion Series-

THE NEXT CHAPTER BOOK IS

Reunion- Cricket and Orrin Book 6

 

Chapter One

 

 Cricket paused as she read her name on one of the envelopes she’d picked up from the mailbox. Her name had been written as Cricket Tannis, not Cricket Moore.

That was the first warning. 

Opening the letter, her eyes widened at the second warning…

It had been made up of macabre style letters… to frighten the receiver. The cutout words she read caused her to gasp and lose her breath for a minute. Finally, as she understood the horrific message, the letter slipped from her fingers to float down to the floor. She sat down hard on the chair beside her. Sitting there for a long moment, she then suddenly remembered to breathe. 

All she could seem to do was to stare down at the letter on the floor.

Raine came into the kitchen holding three year old Molly in his arms. “Babe…” He paused when he saw her. Putting little Molly down, he knelt in front of her and grasped her hands in his. “Cricket? Baby…what’s wrong?”

Cricket slowly looked up at him then pointed to the letter. 

Raine felt confused as he spotted it then reached down to pick it up. As he read the threat, he snapped his gaze up to her. “What the everloving fuck is this?”

“I have no idea,” she whispered as she pushed the envelope the letter came in toward him. “It was written to Cricket Tannis.”

Raine studied the envelope for a moment then asked, “Why would it be addressed to Cricket Tannis? And not Cricket Moore?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted with a shrug. “Tannis was never my legal name. It was just a name my dad called us when he was running from Bane.”

Raine stared at her and asked, “Would Orrin know what this is about?”

Cricket shrugged as she replied, “Maybe? But I had thought he was dead all these years. Didn’t this guy who sent this know that too? I thought the only family I had was Cordy for most of my life.” She shook her head. “Well, Cordy wasn’t family really. Just a warden.” She stared at the letter again and asked in a sort of rant, “What does it mean though? Take his little girl? Left him with nothing? Why would he think my dad did something like that? And why did he write to me?” She felt a cold pit in her belly as she said, “He’s threatening our kids, Raine.” Tears rolled down her cheeks. The first tears she cried in a very long time.

Raine took her hand and squeezed it. “Try to just breathe, Cricket. We can’t panic here, ok?”

Slowly nodding her head at him, her hands trembled.

~*~

Raine stared at the note again. In an odd, 70's-like presentation, it had been made up from magazine and newspaper clippings, all glued onto the paper to read as a message:

 “I finally found you. After all this time, I can get my revenge. Your dad took my little girl years ago and now I will take his, or maybe his grandchild? Who knows who it will be, or maybe all of you? He left me with nothing, so maybe I’ll return the favor. See you soon darlin….”

As the cruel words sunk in, the rage inside him grew as he’d never before felt so helpless to protect his family. They had to figure this out and fast, before this mystery man made his move. He refused to lose his wife or his kids. He gazed up at Cricket and asked, “Where are the boys?”

“Over at your mom’s,” she replied as she watched little Molly playing with her doll.

Raine surged to his feet and grabbed his phone. Tapping her number, he waited. “Mom, is anyone with you right now?”

“Yeah, your dad is here. Is something wrong?”

“I need him to bring the boys home right away.” Raine growled.

“What’s happening, son?” Molly wanted to know.

“We have a situation we need to deal with. First, we need to make sure the kids are safe. And I’m gonna need everyone here to figure it out.”

“We’re on our way, boy,”  Black Jack called out over the line. 

Raine ended the call and then dialed Deke to say, “I need the whole club, boss.”

“We’ll be there,” Deke said hung up.

Raine tapped the screen then set his phone on the table. He grabbed Cricket from the chair and pulled her close. “Baby, we will deal with this, ok?” He wrapped his arms around her and said, “The Sin’s don’t lie down for any damn thing. We protect our own and you already know this. Just try to stay calm and we will figure this out.”

Cricket nodded as she looked pale and her body still shook. “I’ll try.” 

Just five minutes late, many Sin’s members arrived. 

Some had come with his dad and most had come with Deke.

Raine’s mom came in and kissed Cricket on the cheek then she took the kids upstairs so everyone else could talk. 

Deke and Sam looked at Raine and a pale Cricket.

“What’s this all about?” Deke asked.

Raine handed him the letter Cricket had gotten in the mail.

 Deke shook his head when he read it then he passed it along to the others. “Fucking creepy.” He turned his head and looked at Cricket. “But that doesn’t mean any of it will happen, Cricket. He won’t even get close to you or the kids.”

Cricket nodded. “I know but that doesn’t make me unafraid right now.”

“The fuck?” Sam growled as he stared at the odd looking missive. “He thinks he’s some kind of serial killer or what?’ He raised his gaze up to see Cricket's face go ashen. “Damn, honey. I didn’t mean it like…” Shaking his head, he passed the note to Black Jack. “You have to trust us, girl.” 

Cricket slowly nodded. “I do trust you Sam, but I don’t trust whoever wrote that damn note.” 

Raine’s father looked down at the letter as he matched Sam’s growl. “This creep won’t get the chance to do a damn thing.”

Cricket shivered again as she went on, “I thought I left my past behind. I’ve been living the good life, then this happens and now I’m pushed back into the past again, only this time it isn’t Cordy. It’s Orrin this guy is really after. I’m just a means to get revenge on my dad. I feel I’m living on borrowed time again and I hate that feeling.”

Raine pulled her up and wrapped his arms around her. “You’ve got me to protect you now, sweetness. I never give up on what’s mine to hold and protect.”

“And he’s got us covering his back too,” Black Jack promised.

“You’ve got the whole army of the Sin’s backing you up, girl,” Sam told her.

“This bastard won’t get close to you or your kids,” Deke assured her.  

“Thank you.” Cricket nodded at them. “You guys have always come through for me and that is more than I ever got before, from anyone.”

Raine raised his head and stared at his dad. 

Black Jack snarled silently back.

Raine could see the fire in his eyes. He knew from experience that when Black Jack got riled, things would go flying soon. He closed his eyes and whispered to Cricket, “Why don’t you join my mom and the kids upstairs? Dusty will be home from school soon and you guys might need a moment.”

Cricket nodded. “Yeah, we might.” She turned to go.

 Before she left, Raine grabbed her up, tugged her close and crushed her lips under his. He deepened the kiss briefly then he pulled back and whispered in her ear, “You belong to me, don’t you forget that.”

Cricket nodded. “I won’t, just remember, you belong to me too. You and our kids are my whole world.” Then she turned and ran for the stairway. 

They all heard her sobbing as she ran down the hall then they heard a door slam.

 Raine snapped his head around to the group and demanded, “Just what the hell do we do to bring this guy out of the shadows and into the light, so I can tear him limb from fucking limb with my bare hands?”

“First thing we do,” Deke replied. “Is get Orrin on the phone and ask him who the fucking hell he pissed off years ago that he’s waiting all this time to get his revenge. Then we hunt down this little prick and stomp him right into the ground.”

“I’ll leave that up to you to make that call,” Raine grumbled. “I might say something I’ll regret if I call him.” Shaking his head he said, “If I see him anytime soon, I might just punch the guy in the throat. He’s ignored her most of her life and left her to grow up with no hope. When she came here, she had nothing but her honor and he sure as hell never taught her about that. That was the only thing she ever got from her mother and she hung onto that, even against all odds. Between her no good father and her even worse sister, I’m surprised she even lived to grow up. But once she was mine she began to thrive and I’m not going to see her lose hope again. Bane tried to crush her and she held up… now this comes along? There is no way I’m going to lose her or my children to this fucker.”

Black Jack walked over to his son and grabbed him by the back of the neck. “Son, you won’t lose her or the kids. I won’t let that happen. We’ll figure this out and we will hunt this asshole down and put him in the ground. Cricket and the kids will be safe, I promise you that.”

Raine looked over at Black Jack and nodded. “I’m holding you to that dad. I just can’t… no, I won’t survive without her or the kids in my life.” Then he remembered something and he looked over at Gambler. “Dusty might be one of this guy’s targets too. If he knows anything about Cricket, he might know how much she loves him.”

Gambler’s face went a bit pale. Then he nodded. “I’ll watch over Dusty.”

“You better because if he goes after him and Dusty gets hurt, she’s gonna clean your clock but good.” Deke shook his head. “For the first six years of his life, Dusty was all she had to call her own. She wasn’t his mama but that didn’t matter to her.”

“I know.” Gambler nodded. “She still watches over him like a hawk. Even though he’s my son, he was her son first. That girl is very loyal to those she loves. And he loves her just as much.”

Raine nodded. “Did you know that on the weekends they still go out to watch the night fade into the day?” He shook his head. “Most mornings I wake up and find them together on the patio. When we rebuilt the house after the fire, Mom reminded me to add the patio and I did.”

Gambler shook his head. “I didn’t know about that. He’s always home when I go to get him up for school. Hell, some mornings he’s even dressed, now I know why.”

“Yeah, so if he’s been watching her, this bastard would know about Dusty and their early morning visits,” Raine grumbled. “It sounds like he’s looking to find a way to scare her and that just ain’t gonna happen.”

Deke shook his head. “No, it isn’t. Like I said, I’ll reach out to her dad and let him know what’s going on.”

 “If he doesn’t step up for her now, he might not ever get the chance to again,” Sam said. “He and his friends will lose more than they realize, in the end. I’ll make sure of that.”

“If he doesn’t step up for her?” Deke scoffed at his dad. “Don’t say something like that Dad. The Jessins are dangerous. Don’t be digging holes again. ”

“You think I care?” Sam snarled. “Captain was always a good man then he went and got blown up. Only come to find out he didn’t die but he sure as hell turned his back on his daughters when he never came back for them, didn’t he? He let her believe he was dead. You tell me what kind of man does that?” Sam shook his head. “Cordy didn’t give a shit and Bane used her for his own reasons and that was bad enough, but what Orrin did? That was worse, much worse. I may not have been the best dad I could have been but I at least stepped up to prove myself. Orrin hasn’t even tried with her. ” He shook his head and said, “Let’s just hope he won’t waste his second chance to be in her life.”

Deke shook his head at Sam. “I better make that call and maybe he can tell us who this guy is and what his beef is.”

 

Chapter Two

Orrin was chuckling at a joke told around the table during lunch when his phone rang. He looked down at his phone and paused. Looking up at Bane, he answered the call, “Yo Deke, what’s up?”

“You can tell me just who the fucking hell is after your daughter.” Deke growled.

Orrin grimaced at his sharp tone and words then he put the call on speaker so everyone could hear it. Then he asked, “What the hell are you talking about? Who is after Cricket and why?”

“She got a letter today addressed to Cricket Tannis and it reads, “I finally found you. After all this time, I can get my revenge. Your dad took my little girl years ago and now I will take his, or maybe his grandchild? Who knows who it will be, or maybe all of you? He left me with nothing so maybe I’ll return the favor. See you soon darlin….” Deke then asked him, “Any ideas who or what the fuck he’s talking about?” 

Orrin gasped and went pale at the words Deke read to them. “Hell no, I have no fuckin’ idea who sent that. Is she okay?”

“What the hell do you think, motherfucker?” Deke gruffly replied. “No she not fuckin okay, she’s scared to death but not for herself, she’s worried about her children…”

“I’m on my way,” Orrin told him. “We’ll sort this out when I get there. You tell her I’m coming.”

“She needs you now more than ever, Captain,” Deke grumbled. “You ignored her most of her life but damn it, she needs you now and you better not disappoint her or I will tear you apart with my bare hands. Then if there is anything left of you, Raine will take over.” Deke ended the call.

Orrin scowled as he gazed down at his phone . “Where the hell does he get off thinking he can talk to me that way?” he growled.

“Probably because you left her behind and never told her you were still alive after you got blown up,” Bane dryly replied. “You let Cordy take her and finish raising her and that led her down a path she didn’t want to go.”

Orrin ‘s head snapped up and he glared at his brother. “I remember, asshole. But I also had my reasons for what I did.”

“Apparently, Deke doesn’t agree with you on that,” James quipped in his two cents.

Bane stared at Orrin. "I'm fond of Cricket. In fact, I admire that girl a helluva lot.”

Everyone in the room turned their heads to stare at him. Most of them wore stunned expressions.

Bane shrugged. “It can happen. Yeah, it’s rare but it can. But the person has to earn it and she sure as hell did. Loyal to the bone.” He looked over at Orrin. 

“Do you know who might have sent that letter to her?” Bastian asked Orrin.

Orrin took a deep breath and exhaled. “I think I might,” he admitted. “But I need to see the actual letter.”

Bane and Cane both stood from their seats. 

“You aren’t going into the lion’s den without me,” Bane stated.

“Or me,” Cane added. 

Sheba stood up now and said, “Or me either. I might not know your daughter and right now might not be the best time to get to know her but I’m your sister and I’m going too.”

Ari got to her feet. “If Sheba is going, then count me in too.” She shrugged. “Cricket’s my cousin at the very least.”

Frank also stood and said, “I’m going too. I need to protect my family, all of them and I’ve put off seeing Cricket again for too long.”

Orrin groaned. “We all can’t go,” he insisted.

“Why not?” Bane asked him. “This is our fight too. You can’t threaten one of us without threatening all of us. We stand together or we don’t stand at all.”

Orrin stared at all of them as he kept shaking his head. “Damn, let's go to Troy then and find out just what the hell is going on over there.”

“You’ll let us know right?” Bastian asked. “We might be able to help.”

Bane nodded. “We’ll let you know. We might need James to run this bastard down.”

James nodded.

Bane looked around and said, “Well leave in twenty minutes.” Then he walked down the hall to pack his bag. 

The others soon followed and twenty minutes later, they all met at the cars. Everyone got in. They drove down the driveway and out the front gate.

A couple of hours later they arrived at the Sin’s Bastards compound. They waited at the gatehouse to be cleared to go in. It took a few minutes, but the gate finally swung open. They headed over to Cricket’s house. When they arrived they saw everyone of the brothers there. Like 20 bikes sat out front.

 Orrin shook his head. “Kinda overkill isn’t it?”

“Not according to them,” Bane suggested. “I’ve noticed one thing about this group, you threaten one, you threaten them all, kind of like us. Cricket just got threatened.”

“Yeah, I get it already,” Orrin grumbled. “So let's go inside and figure this out.” He opened his car door and got out of the vehicle. 

Sam and Black Jack were standing outside.

 Black Jack narrowed his eyes at them as they got out of the three cars.

Both Sam and Black Jack stood there as if they were blocking the front door to protect Cricket from her family. 

Black Jack crossed his arms over his broad chest and growled, “You brought your whole family I see, or at least I’m assuming this is your family?”

Orrin nodded. "You already know my brothers. This is my sister Sheba, my niece Ari and my father Frank.”

Sam nodded at them but neither of them moved to allow the Jessin family inside.

Finally, Orrin said, “Are you going to let me see Cricket or what?”

Sam  growled. “Or what. We just want you and your family to know that we will protect that girl from anyone who wants to hurt her, even from you and yours if we need to. You’ve hurt that child too much already and the only reason we called you to begin with was to find out who the asswipe is that’s threatening her. We don’t really need you or the others to protect her.”

“I have a feeling you are gonna need us to find this asswipe.” Orrin growled. “And Cricket is my daughter, I have the right to be here for her.”

Black Jack kept glaring at him. “You should have protected her better when she was a kid too. Instead, you let her and us think you were dead for many years Captain.You let Cordy lead her into hell and didn’t even care enough to let her know you were still alive.” He shook his head. “She needed you man and you let her down, you let her down bad.”

Orrin got right up in the other man’s face as he retorted, “You think I don’t know that, Black Jack? You think I don’t regret walking away and staying out of her life? I didn’t know how bad she had it under Cordy or I would have stopped it. Cordy had been so young then. I never saw that cold evil in her when she was just a child. After I got blown up, I was out of it for a long time. I had no memory for a long ass time. A few years in fact. When pieces of it came back, Cordy and Cricket were gone and I no longer had any ties to the Satan’s Bastards. I let her go, thinking she was with the MC, that was on me.” He sighed hard. “You don’t know what all happened, so judging me won’t help here. But I’m here now and I won’t let her down again.”

“And we got his back in this,” Bane added.

Sam snarled at him as he showed how he felt about Bane right away. “You don’t get to talk to her or have her back after what you did to her either. You came here and threatened all of us to make her do something for you twice. Then you left her alone, and like her dad you left her thinking you were dead too. You are just as bad as your brother. She really doesn't need either of you morons.”

"Careful there, Bones," Bane warned him in a low tone.

“If this man who threatened her is who I think it is…” Orrin glared at the two angry men. “You are gonna need us to find him and put him down like the rabid dog he is, I need to see the letter he sent to her to be sure.”

“Deke read you what the letter said,” Sam replied.

Finally, Sheba spoke up as she looked exasperated. “Man, bitterness is one thing but why did this Deke call Orrin if you aren't going to let him in?”

The men all looked over at her.

Sam looked pissed at her remark and he opened his mouth to make a reply.

Bane raised his hand and gave him a warning, “I’d be careful what you say, Bones. This woman could kill you in a fucking blink of your eyes.”

Sam growled as he clenched his fists at his sides.

“You all need to cut this shit out,” Cane said. “This man is out there ready to hurt her. So let’s get past this, huh?”

Silence fell though Sam still looked pissed. Black Jack slowly shook his head.

“Deke read it to us but this bastard always signs his shit a certain way,” Orrin argued. “And I need to know if it’s him or not.” 

Deke and Gator joined them on the front stoop.

Silent, Deke then handed Orrin the letter. 

Orrin stared down at it. He read the words again and then he growled. “God damn it. How the hell did he find her?”

“How the hell did who find her?” Deke asked him. “Who are we dealing with here?”

Orrin nodded. “Someone I haven’t seen for about thirty years or so.” He looked over at Bane and said, “Someone from before I even met Grace.”

Bane snatched the letter from Orrin’s hands and he too read the words written there. Noticing right away what Orrin had, he growled out, “Z?”

Orrin nodded. “He always signed things with a swirling Z. For Zaracke. Ajaz Edmund Zaracke, the biggest asshole on the east coast.” He ran his hand over his head and griped, “How the hell did he find me after all these years? And how the hell did he connect Cricket to me?”

Bane shook his head and said, “That doesn’t matter, we have to find him and end him before he kills her, that’s all.”

Orrin shook his head. “And just how the hell do we find a dead man? A dead man who was lost and who was buried years ago.”

“Wait… what the hell are you saying?" Deke demanded. “Who the hell is this fucker?”

Orrin shook his head. “To explain that I think we should all go inside. I’m only ever going to tell anyone this once.”

Deke paused for a moment then he looked over at Sam and Black Jack. He could easily see they did not want Orrin here. He gave them a nod, letting them know he would allow them in. Then he turned to go back inside. 

Everyone followed him in.

 When they got inside the house, it was crowded and every member of the MC was glaring at the Jessin family. 

Sheba snorted and again, reminded them, “You all need to stop glaring daggers at us, we aren’t the enemy here. You called us, remember?”

Finally, Cricket asked, “Dad? What the hell are you doing here?”

Orrin turned around and saw her standing at the base of the stairway. 

Her eyes were red like she’d been crying and she was glaring at them all too.

“Deke called me in on this,” he replied. “I saw the letter and I know who wrote it. The rest of them came along to help.” Shaking his head he said, “I’m sorry baby girl, I thought this bastard was dead a long time ago.”

“Can you stop him?” Cricket asked. “I don’t want to die and I don’t want to bury any of my children either.”

“You won’t have to, sweet girl,” Orrin vowed. “I’ll take care of this.”

“We’ll take care of this.” Bane growled, including himself into the mix. “This bastard should have stayed dead.”

“Tell us about this Ajax Edmund Zaracke,” Deke said. 

Orrin shook his head. “In order for you to fully understand him, I have to go back about thirty years ago. That was the first time I met him. I was almost twenty years old and just getting started in a career that most people wouldn’t and didn’t understand. I didn’t really understand it myself but back then I learned from my grandfather Theo about how to blow things up with precision and I was very good at what I did. I grew up under his tutelage and he trained me well. He also trained Bane to become a killer because that was all he knew how to do.”

Deke and Sam both scoffed with disgust. 

Orrin held up his hand. “Don’t judge the man, you didn’t know him or my family back then. The Jessin name had been associated with that trade for a very long time. We go back to the days of being royal guards. All the way back to King Arthur and we were very good at what we did.”

“Just get on with it, will ya?” Black Jack snapped.

Frank, who’d not said a word this whole time, looked over at Black Jack and Sam as he said, “You don’t look like men who should be judging others for a wild or violent life.” He slowly gazed around at all the men in the room. “I won’t stand here and say what a virtuous family the Jessins are. But as the bible says…Cast that first stone, assholes and let’s see how many of you are without sin.”

 

Chapter Three

 

The men in the room looked disgruntled but they went quiet at least.

Frank motioned to Orrin. “Go ahead, son.”

Orrin crossed his arms over his chest and went on, “Anyway, I have two skills which I have perfected to a degree. I blow things up and I can break into anywhere and any safe I want to. I’d never killed anyone with my explosives, you understand. I was only damaging property. I didn’t want in on the hit man thing. Even at 25, I didn’t want to kill. So, I met Ajax on a job. Was a bank safe gig. He then contacted me sometime after that. He explained he was getting a divorce from his wife and he wanted me to blow up his house so she wouldn’t get it in the court judgment. He wanted it to look like a gas explosion, so I set it up. I watched the house for at least four hours. I waited some more and no one was around. Then just as I hit the remote, I saw a face in the window. It was his little girl. It was too late to save her. The entire house lay in ruins within minutes.” He slowly shook his head. “I don’t know how she came to still be there.”

Everyone in the room looked stunned.

“Man, it fucked my head up bad," Orrin looked upward as he spoke. "I had a hard time with it and I still do. Nightmares man. I still carry that guilt to this damn day. I will never get away from it.” He looked around. “So judge me for it if you want. I don’t fucking care." He let out a hard sigh and continued, "Well, the next morning, the news reported there were two bodies found inside the house. The child and her mother. I didn’t know it but Ajax had murdered his soon to be ex-wife and left her body in that house. What I cannot figure out is how he didn’t know that his child was in there as well.” 

Bane took over the story, “At that time, Orrin and I lived with Grandpa Theo. Ajax was livid and he blamed Orrin for fucking things up. He called Orrin in a fine rage about how his daughter had died and how could he fuck things up that bad. Orrin told him Ajax hired him to just blow up the place and he did what he was paid for. That it was Ajax’s job to make sure his daughter was safe. Orrin wasn’t hired to do that. Ajax then threatened Orrin, saying he was going to tell the police about Orrin’s explosives and such. That he had blown up the house. Orrin said he would make sure he informed the cops as to why he’d blown it up, but that there was no evidence left to show that he had ever been there.  Ajax clearly wasn’t thinking straight and in his grief and rage, he threatened to get revenge.”

Orrin continued the story, “He tried to get his money back but as soon as it came into the account I had set up, I transferred it to another account. So he couldn’t get it back. He had the money to try and hire someone to take me out but whoever he hired couldn’t find me or maybe never even tried. Bane had been getting well enough known by then that when any contractor heard his name, they didn’t want to make an enemy out of him. When Ajax couldn’t hire someone else to come after me, he tried himself. His rage and I think his guilt was making him insane and he was very dangerous for a while.”

“It all came to a head,” Bane said. “When Ajax found us on the highway. It turned into a high speed chase. We were traveling together one day when Ajax began playing bump and run with our cars. Grandpa Theo taught us to be as safe as possible so we armored our vehicles and Ajax was driving  a regular car.  He stood no chance but he sure tried. Rather than cause a major pileup, we took off at high speed. Orrin was a very skilled driver and he manipulated the chase. So we thought we’d left Ajax behind us. Then suddenly, he rammed our car. We spun out but so did he. Orrin got immediate control of the car. So when Ajax slammed into the bridge trusses, he crashed hard and there wasn’t much left of his car. We were able to drive away with barely any damage. We heard the next day that the driver perished when he hit the bridge and we thought it was over.”

“Until now.” Orrin growled.

Bane nodded. “Until now,” he repeated his brother’s statement. “We all have bad pasts. At least most of us do. Hell, I imagine that mine is much worse than anyone here. But one thing I do know is Orrin did not kill that little girl knowingly.” Then he looked around at all the faces in the room as if to challenge any of them to say differently. 

“But how did he know the Tannis name?” Cricket asked as she stared at her father. “I didn’t think you took that name until you and Mom were on the run from Bane.”

“Tannis was my professional name,” Orrin replied. “I didn’t want to use the Jessin name so I could avoid any blowback from being associated with Bane. We were two very different people in two very different careers.” Shaking his head he said, “How he found you using that name, I have no idea.”

“When was the last time you heard from this maniac?’ Sam wanted to know.

Orrin slowly shook his head. “I haven’t seen or heard from him since he hit that bridge. I kept an eye on the obits and his did come up. There was even speculation about the accident being not so much an accident but rather his attempt to commit suicide over the death of his daughter.”

“The police were also looking into his involvement regarding the explosion as well. It turned out they could prove his wife was dead before the explosion.” Bane shrugged.

“My job was to make the house unlivable,” Orrin explained. “I left it in ruins but apparently, her body was shielded enough that it was almost undamaged. Whereas his daughter was upstairs and she was killed when the building collapsed. There wasn’t supposed to be anyone there as far as I knew. Ajax assured me the house would be empty, but it wasn’t and I didn’t go inside to check. That was too risky.”

Deke shook his head as he said, “If you had checked the house, you would have found his wife’s body and realized you’d been set up. He wouldn’t have wanted that.”

Orrin nodded. “But according to the letter he sent Cricket, I took his daughter away from him and now he’s going to take mine.” He growled, “That just ain’t gonna happen.”

Sam snorted. “You didn’t kill his daughter, he did. He should have made sure she wasn’t in the house. He killed his wife and left her body there, thinking the explosion would be blamed for her death.” Sam shook his head then he glanced at Deke and Black Jack. “There’s something here that just doesn’t smell right though.” He now looked at Orrin to ask, “What else can you remember about that job?”

Orrin looked confused. “Like what?”

“I don’t know.” Sam shrugged. “Did he say anything about the divorce? About how she was trying to take him for all he was worth, or something stupid like that?”

Orrin shook his head. “No and I wouldn’t have cared one way or the other about that kind of shit. Didn’t know, didn’t care. None of my business.”

Black Jack nodded. “And that’s what he was counting on too.” He looked over at Sam and said, “I think we need to find out what we can about that divorce. And for once Bones, I think you’re right, something stinks here.” 

Sam rolled his eyes at the for once part. “Yeah, it stinks… kind of like a dirty rotten apple.”

Orrin glanced over at Bane, Cane, Ari and Sheba then he looked at Deke. “This all happened 24 years ago. And as I said before, his name is Ajax Edmund Zaracke. His wife’s name was Belinda Zaracke and his little girl’s name was Cassidy. They lived in Hanover, New York.”

Cane finally spoke up,  “We’ll have our IT people looking into it as well. Maybe what we don’t find you can and vice versa.”

“Dad,” Cricket spoke up now. “I need to know how he knew about me and why he wrote that letter to Cricket Tannis when I’ve been Cricket Moore for years now. How did he know who I was and where I was?”

“I’d like to know that as well,” Frank finally broke his silence. “I know damn well your grandfather taught you boys some of the same lessons he taught me.  One of those lessons was to hide your family from your clients and another was to keep a file of your clients. You know, names, dates, purpose of the connection. All that kind of stuff.”

Bane nodded “Yeah, he taught us that. It's something I still do today.” 

 Orrin shrugged. “I did at one time but that was a long time ago. A lifetime for me.”

“Yeah, for me too.” Bane reached into his pocket and brought out a flash drive USB. “ But I put all my paper files on flash drives years ago. I also did the same with yours.”  He handed it to Orrin. “I went and put it all on one drive. I thought we might need it today.”

“Well hell, let's see what your files can tell us,” Sam stated.

Cricket sat down and got her laptop up and running.

 Orrin plugged the flash drive in. 

Cricket located the Zaracke file and waited for it to open. Along with the information, this included pictures of the house, both before and after the blast that he had taken. 

Orrin glanced up at Bane.

He shrugged. “Meticulous just like Grandpa Theo was.”

Orrin smirked. “You had to really do some looking to get the photographs too.”

Deke and Sam looked over Cricket’s shoulder and they read the information collected on the Zaracke family. They then moved over to allow others to do the same.

Frank stared at the image of the house and asked, “Where did you see the little girl before the blast?”

Orrin studied the image then pointed to a window on the second floor. “I saw her face here. She looked so scared but it was too late to try and save her. The blast happened seconds after I saw her and I was standing too close. I had to flee or get caught up in the blast. I escaped but then when I was hidden in the shadows, I saw Ajax’s vehicle pull up. I saw him struggle to get out of the car and he just stared at the ruined house.” Orrin shook his head. “The thing that struck me as weird at the time was that he didn’t look like he gave a shit about the house. He almost had a satisfied look on his face.”

Sam snorted, then said, “Well, of course he did, son. If he killed his wife, the blast would have hidden that fact, wouldn’t it? The real question here is did he mean for his daughter to die in that blast or was she caught in it by accident?”

“And was there any insurance money in play here?” Black Jack asked. “Was the murder of his soon to be ex wife really supposed to be considered an accident? What about the daughter? Was there any insurance on her?”

Orrin just shook his head. “I don’t know, it wasn’t my business to know any of that crap.”

Bane scoffed. “Maybe it should have been. I always dig into the reasons why these people hired me. Call it curiosity but I had to know why. It also saved my ass a few times. ”

“Maybe we should find out now,” Deke suggested. “We need to put the pieces of this puzzle together and protect Cricket. We need to know everything as every little detail is important.”

Bane nodded then texted James to find out what he could about Ajax. Also, to check for any insurance payouts on the wife and the daughter. 

Deke nodded at his IT man and said, “Zipper will do the same on this end. Together, they might find the truth.” 

Sam growled, “We need to move quick and quiet and be on our toes to flush out this monster. He’s already told us he’s watching her, now we have to make him think he can get to her. That’s when we make our move. We catch him with his hand in the cookie jar, so to speak and that’s when we slap his hand and we slap it hard.”

“We’re gonna do more than just slap his hand.” Frank growled. “I’m gonna cut it off and use it to beat him to death. I may not have been around when she was growing up but she’s my granddaughter and I’ll protect her now.”

Raine shook his head as he stared at him then looked over at Orrin. “Might be too little, too late for that.”

Frank glared at him then shook his head. “You may think that young man but I’ve been watching over her since I knew about her. Personally, I had to stay away for this long. But don’t you doubt that I had people looking out for her. There was danger out there for me and my family. They wanted us gone and I couldn’t and wouldn’t risk Cricket or Dusty either. I know she felt alone but she never really was. I had my Knights watching over her and her family.”

Cricket’s head snapped up and she grabbed her phone then scrolled on it for a minute or two. “Ok, that might explain this.” Standing from her chair, she went over to her grandfather to show him a picture on her cell. “Is this one of your Knights?”

Frank stared at her and gazed down at the photo. He glanced at Orrin and Bane then back up at Cricket. “No baby girl, that's not one of the men I had watching you. I’ve never seen him before.”

Orrin hissed then reached for the phone. He stared at the man in the picture. “Damn him all to hell,” he swore.

“You know him?” Cane asked.

Orrin raised his head and nodded. “Yeah brother, I know this fuckwad. It’s Ajax Edmund Zaracke.”

 

Chapter four

 

Orrin nodded. “He’s thirty years older in this photo but that’s him. I would know that man’s face any time, anywhere.” He looked over at his daughter. “Where and when did you take this picture?”

“Three weeks ago,” Cricket replied. “But I’d seen him before. I thought he was following me for the last month or so. You know that creepy feeling you get when you feel eyes on you the moment you step outside? That’s the feeling I got every time I left the compound. I caught this guy following me around town several times in the last month.”

“Damn, that’s bold,” Bane observed. “It’s like he wants to get caught.”

Frank paused at his oldest son’s words. The more he thought about it the more it made sense. “But why? Why would he want to get caught?”

Bane and Orrin shrugged. 

Sheba gave her two cents, “Maybe he thought you guys wouldn’t recognize him after all this time. And since he was supposed to be dead already, he believed you wouldn’t see that he was really alive and kicking.”

“Or maybe this is a ruse to draw you out, Orrin,” Ari suggested. “Maybe he couldn’t find you any other way and decided to threaten your daughter. Like bring you out of the shadows to protect your own.”

Orrin shook his head. “But he never knew about Cricket or Cordy. I made sure of that.”

Cricket looked up and told him softly, “You may have protected us but Cordy never did. She often told people she was me. She openly spread our family name around, Dad. She didn’t hide us at all. In fact, there were police stations, gangs, MC’s that knew our names well at times. All over the country. You see, she burned bridges for a living.”

Orrin stared at her while shaking his head. "What do you mean by that?”

Cricket let out a sigh and explained the awful truth, "She was always scheming. Mostly about how to steal. And mostly to steal money directly from a bad source.”

“A bad source?” Cane asked.

“Yeah, like drug dealers,” Cricket went on. “Criminals, bad MC presidents, scumbags she would sleep with. Then before she left town with her ill gotten gains, she would make sure they thought she was Cricket Tannis. So if anything went wrong in her stealing someone’s money schemes, I would take the blame leaving her to skip off with no backlash. And believe me when I say, she would have fit right in with what Bane was doing back then.” She paused to look at him. “Sorry Uncle, but you were like the walking dead with no soul.”

Bane looked at her and shrugged. “And that is the truth, little girl. Go on.”

Cricket went on, “Cordy only looked after herself, she just didn’t care about anyone else, not even her own son.” She shook her head. “When she realized she was pregnant, she wanted to abort him, but I talked her out of it. That's when she knew I would always be there for her to use and abuse. We made a deal, she would have the baby and I would take care of him. She knew I would love him and I did. She then used him against me every time she could. I think one of the hardest things in my life was giving Dusty up after I got here, but it was the right thing to do. I know that day about killed me but he had a right to know his dad and his family. I had to do the right thing, for Dusty.”

“And you did,” Gambler assured her. 

Black Jack nodded. "You gave us more joy than you know, girl."

Cricket wiped her tears away. “But doing that ripped my heart out. The only good thing I had in my life at that time was Raine and Dusty. When Raine and I got together... for the first time since my mom died, I was whole again.” She looked over at Orrin. “When Mom died, I think a huge part of you did too. You just didn’t care anymore about me or Cordy. You turned to your work instead of your family and you did your thing. I was barely hanging on but you never noticed that. Cordy was going wild and you never noticed that either. Those years with Cordy left me with nothing but Dusty and I hung on for him. Now I have a good life. I have babies of my own to love… those babies and Raine are my life. If I have to, I will give him what he wants but I won’t go down alone. I’ll take that motherfucker with me to protect my family.”

“The hell you will.” Bane growled. “Zaracke won’t even get close to you Cricket, we'll make sure of that.”

“Damn right we will,” Orrin added as he looked angry.

 Deke, Sam and Black Jack all looked angry with him.

 “We got your back too, sweetheart,” Black Jack assured her.

Cricket nodded at them all. “I believe in you guys, but I’m also warning you that I can and will protect myself and my babies. All four of them. I’m not as weak as I once was. Living with Raine and the MC has taught me that much. This monster thinks he can scare me? Well, he has but if you don’t get him, I will. No one, not this Ajax or anyone else threatens my family.” Cricket then turned and walked to the stairway proudly, almost regally. 

After she left, the room went silent for a couple of minutes. 

Finally, Sheba broke the silence when she shook her head and said, “Damn, I wanna be like her when I grow up.”

Ari chuckled softly. “Look out Zaracke, you woke up a very angry mama bear. If anyone is dangerous right now, it would be that woman.”

Raine looked over at her and Sheba. “She isn’t alone anymore. She’s got me at her back.”

Orrin just stood there and stared at the now empty staircase. He felt so alone at the moment and the room was full of people. But he still felt alone, his daughter’s words stuck him hard. He finally realized just how bad he’d fucked up when he finally remembered who he was but still walked away from his daughter and then let her believe he was dead all those years. He thought he was protecting her but he didn’t. He was protecting himself from caring about another human being, his own flesh and blood. Maybe he was more like Bane than he realized. “She’s got me as well,” Orrin vowed. “I know I fucked up bad all those years ago. I won’t excuse it because after a year of being injured and having lost my memory, I did remember my life and I never went after my daughter. But I’m here now. I’m not going anywhere.”

“We aren’t going anywhere either, brother,” Cane spoke up.

Bane gave him a nod. “You have your family backing you now.”

Sheba snorted. “We aren’t going anywhere either, except on the hunt for this asshat. He thinks he can’t be found? We’re gonna show him he can’t find a rock big enough to hide under.”

“I have a whole network of Knights out there as well,” Frank added. “I was never able to help any of you before. But I sure as hell can now. I will call them in to hunt this bastard down. Zaracke can’t hide in the shadows anymore. We will drag him out into the light.” 

~*~

Sam looked over at Black Jack.

He seemed to be studying all the Jessins. He literally knew zip about them as far as Sam knew. Black Jack snorted and shook his head but listened to their plans to find Zaracke.

Yes, they had to find the man but more importantly, they needed to understand the why of this situation. They needed more information about what really happened all those years years ago when that house blew up. 

Sam walked over to where Zipper had his laptop set up. “Zip, we need to understand what This guy's frame of mind was back in the day. Something stinks here and I want to know more about the why. There’s just something off about this threat. The man is too fucking bold for one thing. For another, he must be stupid to threaten someone with the backing our Cricket has. Does he think he’s taking on some girl with no family?” Sam scoffed. “Either he’s as dumb as a fucking rock or he’s lying. I mean who the hell knows what he’s got in mind, but I don’t like having all these unanswered questions.”

Zipper nodded. “I’ll see what I can find, Bones.” He looked over at the Jessins and commented, quietly “I don’t like them being here either.”

“I don’t care for it myself but we need them in on this.” Sam sighed. “Cricket is one of us and has been for a long time. We can’t keep them out. She’s also Captain’s daughter. ”

Zipper glanced over at Sam and grumbled, “That doesn’t nearly make up enough for what he did to her. Not by a long shot.”

Sam nodded. “I know but we need everyone on this. It’s a dangerous time. She needs him now. Hey, I’ve fucked up with my kids, but I’ve tried to correct that. Maybe he can do that too? We have to wait and see what goes down before we turn him away.”

Zipper snorted. “Oh, yeah? Well, let me know when you decide to tell the likes of Bane Jessin he isn’t welcome here. As I recall, it didn’t work out so well the last time we told him that.”

Sam just snorted. “It ain’t Bane I worry about but his sister, that woman looks dangerous and she moves like a killer- soldier. I’m sure she’s as bad as he is.”

“You would be right about that, Mr. Bones,” a female voice whispered into his ear from behind him. 

Sam paled as he closed his eyes and shivered at the sound of her whisper. He swallowed hard then slowly turned around to face her. 

Sheba glared at him and spoke softly but succinctly, “You don’t even know me, so by what right do you get to judge me or mine?”

“I’m not judging anyone here,” Sam told her softly. “I’m glad for once that Orrin is stepping up for his daughter and I know a little bit about Bane. But I don’t know the rest of you yet. I’m just sayin.”

Sheba nodded. “Seems reasonable but maybe you should know a little something about me and Ari. We weren’t raised with the rest of our family. Dear old mom sold me to an academy that trained me to become an assassin when I was very young. Ari’s dad, my uncle, being my mother’s brother, did the same to her. We attended sister academies and we got very far in our studies. Graduating with honors, so to speak." She gave him a cold grin. "My family knows my background and now so do you and yours. Just sayin.” With that, she turned and made her way back across the room to her family.

Sam slowly turned his head to stare at Zipper.

 The Sin's IT had gone a bit pale and looked gobsmacked for a moment. “Holy shit, that woman is terrifying. Did you see that look in her eyes? I wouldn’t want to be anyone she’s hunting, that’s for damn sure.” Zipper shook his head and went back to his computer searches. 

Sam headed over to Deke as he kept looking around nervously.

 Deke stared at his dad and asked, “What did you do now, Bones?”

“Not a fuckin’ thing,” Sam protested. “But just so you know… that Sheba woman and her cousin are dangerous. And boy, for the love of God, please don’t piss them off. You wouldn’t survive the encounter and I kinda like having you around.”

Deke just shook his head at his dad then slowly looked over at Sheba and Ari. Glancing up at Raine and Black Jack he shrugged at them.

With a whistle, Zipper gave them all a heads up. “I think I might have something here,” he called out.

Walking over to his table, Deke asked him, “What did you find?” 

Zipper stared at his screen as he explained what he’d found, “Ajax Edmund Zaracke cashed in on two life insurance policies after his wife and daughter were blown up in the explosion that wrecked their home. It seems the police blamed the LP company for installing a defective main line when they did maintenance a week before the explosion. The company was ordered to pay out a million five in restitution and then the insurance company paid out five million for the wife and three million for the daughter. That’s almost ten million dollars in total.” He finally gazed up at Deke, “That sly fucker. We knew the wife was dead before Orrin blew the house but he killed his daughter on purpose too. At least, that’s what this looks like.”

 

Chapter five

Deke agreed as he looked disgusted, “Yeah, it is beginning to look like it.”

 Orrin turned to Zipper and asked, “Do you have a picture of the daughter?”

Zipper paused and looked into the file. He found a picture of both the wife and the daughter. “Yeah, I found one.”

 Orrin came over and studied the photo of the daughter for a long moment, then he shook his head. He looked over at Bane and snarled, “That’s not the face of the little girl I saw in the upstairs window that night.”

Bane cocked his head at him and looked over at Cane, then back at Orrin. “Are you sure? It's been years since this happened.”

Orrin ran his hands over his head and glared at his brother. “Would you be able to forget the face of  a child you saw before an explosion you set?”

Bane started to shake his head then he paused to ask, “Are you sure it's not her?”

Orrin nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure. The little girl I saw that night was younger than this at that time. She had blonde hair but it was short, curly and this little girl has long blonde hair and the shape of her face is different, it wasn’t like this little girl’s.”

Bane looked over at his dad and the other men standing there. “What the hell is going on here? If Ajax’s daughter didn’t die in that explosion, who did?”

“Another mystery here is didn’t Ajax die in that bridge collision,” Ari stated as she looked around at them all as well. “You know, when he came after Orrin and you? How is it that he’s still alive if the person who collided with those pylons was killed outright?” 

Zipper brought up the newspaper article about the accident to read the details out loud to the group,  “A tragic accident resulted in a death on the 10 today when a hit and run vehicle bounced off another car and impacted directly with the tresses of the bridge. The car was demolished and the driver lost his life as the car burst into flames upon hitting the cement pillars there. The vehicle was registered to Ajax Zaracke and it is assumed that Zaracke was the driver.”

The whole room remained silent when his voice faded away as everyone thought about the report. 

Finally, Frank cleared his throat and said, “That son of a bitch. So he replaced himself and his daughter with other victims? ”

Cane nodded. “We wouldn’t be standing here now if it had been him that had died. Someone other than Zaracke was driving that car. Zaracke never came forward to the police to tell them he was still alive.”

“I wonder who died in his stead?” Ari wondered out loud. “I mean how would he have gotten his car in the first place?”

Orrin shook his head. “When he hit the car, I had to concentrate on driving. He was coming in hard and strong, hoping to wreck us.”

Bane nodded. “Yeah, he was good but thank fuck, Orrin was better. I thought about taking out a tire with a bullet but there was other traffic.”

Orrin shook his head. “Zaracke let that man be buried under his name.” Then he paused and glanced over at Zipper, “Wait, was this before or after he collected the insurance money?”

Zipper flipped back a few clicks and stated, “Three weeks after he collected the money.”

Orrin slowly turned his head to stare at Bane. “That lousy fucking faker. He collected the money then he tried to take us both out. He had to tie up all his loose ends and we were free rope in his way.”

Bane snarled and curled his hands into fists. “Fucking hell.” He turned to glare at Zipper and told him, “Find out as much as you can about what the fuck this pissant has been doing all these years. Dig as deep as you need to go but find us some answers.”

Zipper stayed silent as he gave him a nod.

Bane took his cell out and called James, “I need you to find Ajax Edmund Zaracke. Go back maybe two decades or more and I need this info like yesterday. Get Damon and Excaliber to help you but I need to know where he went and how he’s been living all these years. I also need to know if anyone has been with him over the years, such as a young child or a young woman. Find him and find him quickly. We know he got almost ten million from insurance policies on his wife and daughter from that damn explosion but Orrin says it wasn’t his daughter that died that night. We need to find out who was in that bedroom.”

James had listened and then said, “Well, shit. That's a lot of new facts, Bane. I thought you said this guy was dead? He died in that hit and run on you both on the highway.”

“No, it seems he wasn’t behind the wheel,” Bane informed him. “It was his car alright, but Zaracke was not driving it. Cricket took a picture of the man stalking her and Orrin identified him as Zaracke. Many years older than the last time he saw him but it was Zaracke. So we know that jackoff is alive.” 

“Well fuck, that sucks,” James said. “He fooled the whole world. That takes some balls, man.”

“Maybe but now we are going to fool him right fuckin’ back,” Bane gritted. “Find out what he’s been doing and where.”

“I am so glad you still need me.” He chuckled. “You got it, big guy.” James ended the call.

Bane glared down at his phone and growled. “I hate it when he does that.”

“Does what?” Cane laughed. “Like when he gets all sincere and shit?”

Bane scoffed.

Frank shook his head. “Never mind James’s little quirks, boys. We need to figure out where this monster has been and what he’s been up to all these years. Then discover if his daughter is still alive or what happened to her.”

Sheba cut in to ask, “His daughter?” she asked.

Frank nodded at her and explained, “Sure, this whole thing was supposed to be about him getting revenge for her death. Well, he faked her death. So he had to do that for a reason.  But he also collected her life insurance as well. He put another little girl in her place... that’s what we are assuming, right? We have to figure out why and if she’s still alive, where the hell is she? Is she still with him? She would be a fully grown woman by now.”

“Maybe we should get Cassie’s friends looking for this creep,” Deke suggested. “If he’s so bold that he’s right here in town, they can find him. They can tell us where he is and if there is anyone with him.”

 “I forgot about Cassie’s little network of vets and homeless people,” Bane said.

Deke snorted. “Don’t knock them, they have saved our bacon on more than one occasion.”

Bane shook his head. “Not knocking them, quite the contrary. We need all the help we can get on this mission.”

“I’ve called in my Knights as well,” Frank told the group. “The sooner this is settled the better for everyone.” 

“First thing we do is start a timeline,” Sheba suggested. “We can fill it in as we go and maybe by the time we get the dates in, we can find out the why’s and who’s as we go along.”

Ari nodded and looked over at Zipper. "Hey…IT guy.”

He glanced up at her.

“You guys got an old fashioned white board?" Ari asked him. "So we can get this all into some kind of timeline and perspective.”

Zipper grinned at her. “Sure, I got one of those and a chalkboard too. I love those things. So cool. It’s like CSI or something.” He stood and headed away.

Sheba and Ari watched him leave, then they glanced at each other.

Sheba looked over at Deke and said, “Your tech guy. He reminds us of someone. Does he have a long lost brother?”

Bane snorted as he got the reference right away.

Cane chuckled as he explained to Deke, “Your man Zipper reminds us a bit of James.”

Deke shrugged. “He's been with us a long time, never asked him about a brother. Smart as fuck though, quick at everything he does and yeah… despite the extremely high IQ, he can be a little odd.”

Bane smirked. “Just a little?” He shook his head. “They can’t be related then.”

Cane, Sheba, Ari and Bane, all snickered a bit.

Frank shook his head at the inside joke.

 ~*~

Gambler cocked his head at them, studying them for a minute.Then he glanced over at the clock and said, “It's almost time for Dusty to get out of school. I’ll go out to the front gate and wait for him to get here. Today is one of his visits with Cricket.” He looked over at Deke. “Then I think we should go on lockdown.”

Deke nodded. “It’s already locked down, man. And we will remain in lockdown until we catch this fucker.”

Gambler gave him a nod then walked out of Raine’s house and made his way to the front gate. Wiley and two others were there. “Have you seen anyone near here just watching the compound?” he asked.

Wiley shook his head, then he turned his head and looked to the left of the fence line. “I haven’t seen anyone but I’ve been getting the creepy feeling someone is watching us.”

Gambler felt unsettled by his news. Just then, he saw the school bus coming.

 It slowed down then stopped and let off the kids. Dusty wasn’t alone when he got off the bus, as Alina, Benny, Jacky, Sam and Jemmia also exited it. 

Gambler hurried them all inside the fence and then watched as the prospect  with Wiley closed and locked the gates.

All the other kids separated and went to their own houses.

He kept Dusty with him. They walked back over to Raine and Cricket’s house together. 

Dusty turned to his dad and asked, “What’s going on? Why are you here today?” Then he slowed his walking as he caught sight of Cricket's place. There were a multitude of cycles and SUVs parked out front.  “And why is everyone and his brother here?”

Gambler stopped and turned to his son, at only eleven he was almost grown up now. So Gambler decided to tell him as much of the truth as he could. He placed his hand on Dusty’s shoulder and said, “Son, your Cricket is in a bit of trouble right now and we have to help her. Not only are the rest of the club around here but so is her dad and his family. You haven’t met them yet but I think it's about time you did. We all have to help Cricket and she’s gonna need your help too. Can you be there for her?”

Dusty growled under his breath. His knuckles went white while he gripped his backpack straps.

 Gambler recognized the sound he made, it was one he often himself made when he was upset. The look on his face was familiar too.

 “Heck yeah, I can be there for her,” Dusty stated. “You’re my dad but she’s the closest thing I had to a mom when I was little. I will always stand with her. What kind of trouble is she in?”

Gambler sighed hard and tried to explain it in a nutshell, “Someone in your Grandpa Orrin’s life, who they thought was dead years ago has come back and he told her that your grandpa took his little girl away years ago. So he has threatened that Orrin would lose his little girl too. We’re all here to find out what is really happening. We are still digging for information. But right now, Cricket needs us. Even if you only listen, she needs somebody to believe in her and she turns to you every time. This is very grown up stuff but you’re grown up enough to be there for her.”

Dusty nodded as he looked intense over this news. “Dang right, she’s been there for me…If it hadn’t been for her, I never would have been born, let alone grown up. You know I love you being my dad and I love Paige too. But Cricket was my mom for like almost seven years of my life. Then when you came into the picture, she stepped aside and then again when you married Paige. She stepped aside but she never stepped away.”

 Gambler nodded as he reasoned, “She was always there watching over you but she let us make our own mistakes while we were learning to live together as a family. She is a good person.”

Dusty nodded. “She’s the best, Dad. I know she told me more than once after we got together that I had to give you time to discover my awesomeness.” 

Gambler chuckled. “And so we have, Mr. Awesomeness.”

Dusty smiled back at him then he sobered again. “I will protect her with everything I got, Dad,” he assured him. “Let’s go find my Cricket.”

They walked the rest of the way to the house.

When they got inside, Dusty looked around at the number of people standing there. 

Orrin, Bane, Cane and Frank stood there while staring back at him. 

Dusty froze then looked up at his dad. “Where is Cricket?” he asked softly. 

“I think she went upstairs.” Gambler nodded at him. 

Dusty dropped his backpack and headed for the stairs. 

Cricket appeared at the top of the steps and when she saw him, she called out, “Dusty.” She opened her arms.

Dusty flew up the stairs and into her embrace. They turned and walked down the hall, disappearing from view.

When they disappeared, Sheba asked, “Who’s the kid?”

“That’s Cordy’s son,” Bane told her softly.

Looking puzzled, Sheba and Ari snapped their heads in his direction.

 “Cordy?” Sheba asked. “Your daughter?”

Orrin nodded as he explained it, “Yeah, Cordy was his daughter but he never knew it. I raised her until Grace died and then I fucked up and left the girls alone too much. So when I got blown up, Cordy took Cricket and disappeared. Then they ended up here. ”

Sheba and Ari looked from him to Bane.

“You are a grandpa and you never told us?” Sheba asked.

Everyone in the room stared at Bane.

 

Chapter Six

Bane shrugged. “Yeah, I have a grandson, but he doesn’t know it yet and I doubt he ever will. I didn’t have anything to do with his mother because Orrin and Grace raised her. He has no idea who I am and that’s fine, he doesn’t need to know me. I am hoping one day he might but that is not today or even tomorrow.” He shrugged. “Maybe he’ll reach out when he’s older and can understand the situation more to my benefit. I didn’t know his mother at all, so I can’t lay claim to him anyway. Cricket raised him and she did a fine job. I can’t and won’t ruin that for him.”

Sheba and Ari shook their heads while wearing disapproving expressions.

“What?” Bane asked them.

“Secrets like that aren't good,” Ari said.

Sheba nodded. “We never knew where we came from and who our family was. As a kid, it means more than it does when you’re an adult.”

Ari agreed, “And he looks like a smart kid.”

Bane stared at them and replied, “I don’t want to mess his head up.”

“Well, that doesn’t mean I can’t make myself known to Cricket and the boy,” Frank grumbled. “Cricket and Cordy were both my granddaughters.” 

Cane nodded. “But not today, maybe when this is over. Ok, Dad?”

Frank nodded back at him. “I agree, it wouldn’t be appropriate right now.”

Black Jack growled as he crossed his arms over his chest and just glared at them. Standing next to him, Raine did the same thing.

In return, the Jessins glared back at them.

They were at a standoff when James pinged Bane with a message.

Bane reached for his phone, read the message and shook his head, “Damn, James just came through for us. He says, Ajax has been very busy in the last twenty years. We all need to hear this.” Bane called him back. When the phone was picked up on the other end, Bane put the call on speaker, “Ok James, what did you guys find?”

“Holy hell brother, what didn’t I find?” James scoffed. “Ajax Edmund Zaracke immediately joined up with a group of other men. He started running guns and other contraband under the guise of shipping household goods under the label of Banderize Enterprises. When they got the money they needed, they built up an Import/Export company as well. After several righteous shipments, they spanned out and got involved in a smuggling ring that went international. Again, under the Banderize name. Interpol didn’t catch on for many years but this group got very rich with each shipment. Four years ago, they got busted and three of the four went to prison for many years. Only Ajax got away because he didn’t trust the others and he left just minutes before they got busted. He went underground and has been moving around under the name of Raul Conrad. He’s back in New York to find someone but he’s not saying who that someone is. My guess and it's only a guess mind you, but I think he’s after his daughter. The one that didn’t die in the house that day. But she doesn't want to be found and I don’t blame her. We did some checking on her too and we found the place she grew up in. And let me tell you, the place was an absolute nightmare. He sent her to an orphanage noted to be nothing more than a house of torture and pain.” Each remark James made was dripping with scorn and condemnation. He went on explaining, “She finally ran away at fifteen and no one has seen her since. She’s still in hiding and I would be too if he was looking for me. That fucker sure didn’t care what happened to her after he collected her insurance money.” James' voice finally faded.

“What name did he use for her when put her in that place?” Cane wanted to know. 

“Lilith Conrad,” James replied.

“See what you can find under that name, she may still be using it,” Cane told him.

Sheba shook her head and cut in, “No, she wouldn’t.”

Cane looked over at her to ask, “Why not?”

“Because she wouldn’t want to remember those years. She would have renamed herself. I would look for some name that meant something to her, what was her mother’s name? Belinda? I would look for someone with that name. I don’t think she would use her father’s name at all. Maybe her mother’s maiden name?”

Zipper shook his head as he spoke up, “That’s where Ajax got Conrad from. So I doubt she would use that name either.” He shrugged. 

Orrin looked around at people in the room as he asked, “So who was the little girl who died in that  house? See if you can find out her name and who she was.”

James just snorted on the other end of the line. “And just how do I do that, Orrin? His daughter was supposed to have died, not some unknown little girl.”

“There has to be something out there that can tell us who she was,” Bane suggested. “Check milk cartons if you have to, just find out who she was.”

 James chuckled and asked, “Milk cartons?”

 “Sure,” Bane replied.

“They don’t do that anymore, Bane,” James corrected him. “Like are you living in the days of the Brady Bunch or what? We have Amber Alerts now.”

“The missing children database,” Zipper said.

“Exactly,” James said. “You’re Zipper correct?” he asked over the speaker phone.

“I am,” he answered.

“I’m glad they have someone there that has some IQ,” James said.

Zipper laughed.

The men in the room all looked a bit insulted as they gazed over at him.

Zipper lowered his gaze to his laptop screen.

“Well, she wouldn’t be a child anymore,” Orrin said. “She’s now a grown woman.”

“How would that help to find the real daughter?” Black Jack asked.

“Every detail is needed,” Cane explained. “It leads to other facts and then we might find out a lot more.”

“A trail?” Black Jack offered.

Cane nodded. “I’ve spent years on trails,” he referred to his time as a cop.

“Yeah, we need a trail right about now,” James commented over the speaker. “Hey Zipper, I think I got your URL. We’ll communicate that way. I'll loop you into my chat link.”

Zipper paused and asked, “You fucking got my URL?”

“Hell yeah, and your email addy,” James replied smugly. “But I have to confess that Rainey got it for me.”

“Rainey?” Zipper asked as he looked curious.

“Yeah, Excaliber,” Frank said. “Maybe the best IT anywhere.”

“Maybe,” Deke said. “But there’s Baby Girl and we have never known any better.”

“Trudy, right?” Bane asked.

Deke nodded.

“Ok, we’ll get back with you all soon,” James stated and ended the call.

Deke just shook his head. “So he saved his daughter then stuck her somewhere she would surely suffer. What kind of man would do that?”

Sheba shivered and Ari looked down at the floor.

Bane watched them both. They knew this subject too well, unfortunately. 

“A monster,” Ari whispered softly. She glanced at Sheba and then over to Deke. “A true monster, any father or a mother who is supposed to love their children and don’t. Monsters. A man who turned his back on her from day one and never cared about her after he left her there. I pray for her that she’s found some sense of a good life after she left that place.”

 Sheba nodded. “I don’t know if that little girl had anyone who really cared for her.”

 “It's hard to make your way in this world all alone but it can be done.” Ari sighed.

Zipper looked up from his laptop and said, “I might have found the little girl.” 

Deke turned toward him and asked, “How did you find her?”

“I looked for any photos with Ajax’s family. There was one for his little girl’s birthday party. The other little girl is there along with her parents.” He looked over at Bane and Orrin. “Did you guys see the driver of the other car who tried to hit and run you?”

Bane nodded. “I did but I thought it was Ajax. At least, that’s who Orrin said it was.”

“I saw the car and it was the same one that he drove the night I blew up his house,” Orrin stated. “I didn’t bother looking at the driver.”

Bane walked over and stared at the laptop screen. He studied the photo of the family and nodded. “That’s the driver.”

Zipper looked over at Deke and explained, “This man is Ajax’s half brother Zane Lomand. His daughter’s name was Lydia Grace.”

Bane grabbed his phone to text the name to James. ‘Try Lydia Grace or perhaps Lomand.’ He then glanced over at Zipper and asked, “Check under the name of Lydia Grace Lomand.”

Zipper nodded and began to type again.

Bane looked up at Orrin then over at Deke. “So Ajax allowed his half brother’s daughter to die in  that explosion.” Shaking his head he growled, “He knew she would be mistaken for his daughter. He received the insurance check for her under his daughter’s name.”

Black Jack growled, “He’s a liar and a cheat. Two things a man can’t allow himself to be and still have any self respect left.”

 “It sounds like Ajax was only after the gold or the green,” Cane suggested.

“I don’t really care what he’s after.” Raine snarled. “He isn’t going to come after my family, my wife or my kids.”

“And I’ll be damned if he gets to Dusty to hurt Cricket,” Gambler snapped.

“Oh, hell no.” Frank growled.

More men growled and were muttering expletives. The room grew loud with a mob mentality to it.

Sheba held her hands up and let out a sharp whistle. “Hold on here. Let’s start back at the top again. Tuck your junk back in your pants and let's think about this clearly. The threat is against Cricket and her family. Now granted, that does include Dusty. So we have to watch over him as well but come on people, if he really wants her he will find a way to get to her. That’s what we have to stop.”

“We also have to realize he might just come straight here. Maybe use a distraction in order to get in here,” Ari pointed out.

Deke stared at her and asked, “What kind of distraction?”

Ari shrugged. “Hell man, I don’t know. Set a fire maybe or shoot up the place. It wouldn’t even have to be inside the compound, it could be outside. You guys have a bunch of businesses in town, right? Maybe he’ll hit one of them, thinking you’ll rush out of here in a hurry and leave the front gate open, I don’t know. But it's always a possibility.”

Sam nodded. “She’s got a point. That could happen and we would rush off to see the damage.”

Deke scoffed as he shook his head at the pair of hit girls. “This isn’t our first rodeo, ya know?”

Sam shook his head as he answered this, “No, it ain’t. But I suggest we get Amos and his group to watch over the businesses. Then we can watch over the compound. Those men are very trustworthy and they will like the fact that we thought of them first.”

Deke ran his hands over the back of his head. “Damn it, Bones.”

“Oh, come on boy, you know I’m right.” Sam crossed his arms over his chest.

“I know it but I don’t have to like it.” Deke growled back.

“We’ve got a full working crew too,” Black Jack commented. “We can spread our men around and have them protect the projects we got working too.”

Deke looked over at Gator and suggested, “Get the brothers back here with their families and we’ll have enough people to watch over everyone.”  

Gator nodded. “At least we got enough men at Redemption House to watch out for any trouble there.”

“And they have enough guys to search under every stone and rock big enough to find Ajax,” Deke agreed as picked his phone up. 

Quietly, Cricket came into the room and sat at a table in the corner.

Raine went over to her. “You okay, babe?”

“Yes, as good as I can be. Dusty’s with Reva and the triplets love him as you know.”

“Oh, I know.” He smiled then sat next to her.

“I just wanted to see what was going on down here,” she said.

He took her hand in his and held it. They both looked around the room.

Frank and Orrin moved over to look at Zipper’s screen to see the pictures there.

Sam and Blackjack were discussing some of the places where guards need to be posted.

Sheba and Ari talked together in low tones.

Bane stared at them both. He knew they had their own ways, stubborn ass girls. But hell, maybe they were coming up with another great idea. He had to hand them that. They were excellent strategists. They had been taught that as an actual skill though, like normal students were taught math at an average school.

After his call, Deke looked around the room and announced, “Amos is getting everyone set up and out looking for this man. He said they will keep an eye on our businesses too.” He sighed hard. “He reminded me that when we need them, all we have to do is ask.”

Bane nodded. “Cassie has some really good friends, both here and in Boston. They always come through for her.”

Deke smiled briefly, “Yeah, they do and that’s a good thing for us at times like this.”

Sam nodded and said, “Iceman tells me that Leon likes it as well. They have helped him out every now and again.”

Orrin glanced over at his daughter Cricket, where she sat at a corner table and saw how troubled she looked. He slowly shook his head and released a sigh. 

~*~

Sheba turned from Ari to see sadness in Orrin’s eyes as he watched his daughter. Orrin was her brother but she didn’t know that much about him and the relationship he had with his daughter. She knew he hadn’t had it easy. He didn’t throw his daughter away, like her mother had done to her. But her life hadn’t been easy either from what was said here earlier. Cordy must have been some kind of evil. She made up her mind that she would ask Cricket some questions and figure things out for herself.

Sheba herself was still working things out in discovering she had a family that actually cared for her. Growing up, she had no one but now, she had a dad and brothers and she wasn’t sure yet what that all was about. Ari was her best friend though, besides having Lancelot at her side. Sheba smiled… he had changed her entire life. And Cricket had this too in Raine, who even now, sat with her and comforted her.

Sheba looked around at the faces in the room. This was quite an eclectic group of human beings who had assembled here and with her training, she pondered the common goal among them. 

Cricket. 

They were all here to help her stay alive, even Bane, of all people. At this thought, Sheba smirked to herself. And she felt like Cricket wasn’t aware of how lucky she really was. She could tell by the saddened expression Cricket wore just now. Yes, she'd had a rough childhood, but now she had lots of love and blessings.

 

Chapter Seven

 

That night after everyone settled down for the evening, the Jessin family stayed at the clubhouse while Raine and Cricket were in their own home. 

Cricket sat outside on her porch, staring at the stars.

 Suddenly, Sheba stepped out of the shadows and sat down beside her.

Neither woman said a word for the longest time.

 Finally, Sheba broke the silence, “I’m still getting used to having a family. Where I grew up, being part of the family was looked down upon. We had to learn to stand on our own two feet or die. I didn’t know about my brothers or my dad until about two years ago.” She sighed. “It's been a shock to find them and to try to get used to being a part of their lives, as I’m sure you know.”

Cricket shook her head. “No, I wouldn't know about that. I knew about my dad. I mean he was around until Cordy blew him up when I was about fourteen or so. I had a family, a mom, a sister and a dad. We moved around a lot and I discovered much later that there was a reason for that. My mom and dad were on the run for their lives from Bane. Then my mom died when I was six and my dad changed. I think a part of him died right along with her.” Her words were softly spoken and she didn’t look at Sheba when she spoke about the past. “Back then, I thought he cared and maybe he did. I can’t pass judgment really because I was looking at him like a child would at a parent, you know? I didn’t understand what they were running from but the one time I saw Bane when he found them and it scared me badly. So I knew it involved him.”

“So, you believed Orrin had died?” Sheba asked quietly.

“I was young, so I’m not sure I understood death really. All I knew for sure was that my mom was gone, then my dad. Something changed and he couldn’t be there with us, me and Cordy. He left us alone more and more. Then a year after my mom died, we moved to Maine and he joined Sam’s MC. I thought he would spend more time with us but he never did. He was there but he was ignoring us. He was just going through the motions. He left Cordy in charge of me because she was older. I guess he never realized that Cordy was more like her biological dad and my life went to hell in a hurry. No one knew the real Cordy, she hid it well. Like if anyone stopped to check on us, she was nice as pie but the moment they left, she would turn evil.  That’s just the way she was. And Orrin missed it all. I also had no doubt that if I ever tried to say anything, she would kill me.” Shaking her head, Cricket told her, “I knew that much and at the time I didn’t think Orrin would even notice. He fell back into his work with no thought about anyone else. I was left to Cordy’s machinations and evil games and let me tell you, she had no mercy.”

Sheba stared at her. “So, she was like evil, even as a teen?”

Cricket nodded “Even as a child.” She went silent for a long moment then she went on with her story, “When I was fourteen or so, Orrin got himself blown up…I found out many years later that Cordy had done it. She actually tried to kill him. For all intents and purposes, she did kill him as everyone thought he was dead. Cordy waited until the MC buried what they believed was his remains, then she cashed in on everything he left behind. Then she and I took off.” She shook her head and said, “I sure didn't want to go. But she was on a mission. She was bound and determined to find out where Deke was. You see, the summer Deke was seventeen and Cordy was twelve, she imagined that they had found love together. In reality, it was all just a fantasy of hers. So she intended to hunt him down and get together with him. There was only one problem, she was carrying another man’s child at the time. She would have gotten rid of her baby if I hadn’t begged her to keep him. I told her I would raise the baby and she knew that she could control me if she kept the kid.”

“Wow…”  Sheba hissed.

Cricket nodded. “So when Dusty was born, he became my son, not hers and she controlled us both that way. She used her innocent child to keep me in line but she had done so much between then and the time we got to New York. She lied, stole and cheated. She used my name in many places, with many different men and situations. People were always after me for money or something she had taken from them. Then we came here and she found Deke again. Deke was with Cassie by then and she wanted revenge on him for not loving her enough to wait for her. At the time, Deke had two little babies and his wife was pregnant with baby number three. Cordy did the unthinkable. She took his babies and brought them home with her. She was going to tell him he could have her and his babies or his wife and lose his two children. I was horrified. I knew she was bad but…” Cricket shook her head. “So me and Dusty returned his daughter and told Deke where he might find his son.”

“She would have actually killed a baby?” Sheba asked in disbelief.

“Yes, she would have. I never doubted that.” Cricket nodded. “After Deke got his son back, she and I stood in a tribunal for what happened. They found Cordy guilty of several crimes she had blamed me for. One of them was murder of a man in another MC. Everyone who was after me suddenly found out the truth and she paid for her crimes. Well, at least the ones we knew about. I was found guilty by association and my sentence was to serve the MC for a year.”

Sheba gasped. “The hell?” She looked pissed suddenly.

 Cricket shook her head. “Not like that.  This club doesn’t believe in that kind of thing. I worked here. Cooking, cleaning, dishes. I wanted to do it because I needed to feel like I had paid the price for not being brave enough to stop it early on. I’d already met Raine and his family and I wanted to stay here with him. We also discovered that Dusty’s dad was one of Raine’s brothers. So he went to stay with his dad and Raine’s family. Shortly after that, I met Bane and he was more like Cordy, he had the same cold empty gaze in his eyes as she did. Which was only proper as she was his child and not Orrin’s. When Bane came here he was looking for Orrin  and my mom, Grace. Grace was his wife, not Orrin’s wife like I always thought. Bane had caught them together. He had beaten Orrin to hell and attacked Grace. Orrin told her they had to leave Bane’s house but when they left, they took something then left a note for Bane telling him why. Orrin is very good at blowing things up but he’s also good at cracking safes. Bane had a safe that he cracked open. They told Bane they had left something behind in the safe meant for him but Bane couldn’t get back into the safe. My parents took a small jar of jewels that belonged to Theo and inside that jar was the only key for that safe. Bane was right, I knew where to find it. So when Bane got the jar back and had the key he opened the safe and found that Grace had his child. He had a son out there somewhere. Bane went to find him.”

Sheba stared at her in shock. “He has a son?”

Cricket sighed as she shook her head. “Michael was like his sister Cordy and his father. Cold and empty. But just like her…he had his own plans.Selfish and cold plans to better only himself. He was going to murder his father and step into his shoes. He even told me about it. He must have thought since Bane was so mean to me that I would like that idea?” Cricket shrugged. “When I told Bane, I don’t think he believed me at first. So afterward, I didn’t see Bane for some time but he showed up again and thanked me for warning him about Michael. That’s when he told me about a contract out on my head. I hadn’t done anything to warrant it but we found out that Cordy had once again set me up. She used my name again and had ripped off a hell of a lot of diamonds from an unstable MC president. The guy had spent four years in prison for robbery but they never found the diamonds. Bane had me believe that he'd been hired for the hit and he gave me three days to say my goodbyes.”

Sheba let out a long breath as she looked out into the night. “Bane is always telling us that he has done things that weren’t forgivable. But wow…”

Cricket shrugged. “This MC was willing to go to war with the other MC but I begged them not to. I refused to waste their lives because of something Cordy lied about. I knew where the diamonds were and I tried to give them back but the other president wanted my blood. He wouldn’t accept that Cordy lied. So unknown to me, Bane took the whole MC down on my behalf. He died as far as we knew. But later on, we found out Bastian had stepped in and offered him a do over. It was the best decision Bane ever made.”

“When did you find out that Orrin was still alive?” Sheba asked her.

“Bane left a will that gave me his fortune and his house. I went down there, thinking he was already gone, but he of course was still alive and living with Bastian. We were at the house one time Bane, my dad and Cane arrived. I didn’t know it but after he got blown up, he thought Cordy would take care of the pair of us. I guess he should have known better but he didn’t. He got mixed up with another woman? I’m still unsure what went on and why he stayed away for so long. The first time I saw that my dad was still alive was a real shock for me. All the memories I had came rushing back and I almost hated him. I just couldn’t forgive him for leaving me behind all those years ago.” Cricket shook her head. “I haven’t forgiven him and I don’t know if I ever can. I still have nightmares about the years I spent with Cordy. Her pain was over when she was found guilty and ended up eating a bullet for what she did but my life was over too that day. I only had one thing to lose and I lost my son, Dusty. I thought I was all alone in the world because I couldn’t, no I wouldn’t accept Bane as my uncle. I just couldn’t, you know? He was so cold and there was nothing but death in his eyes. Then I found out that he destroyed an entire MC for me. He stopped that threat and I began to forgive him. But Orrin? He stopped loving me as part of him when my mom died. I tried, I really did try to get him to see me, to hold me, and comfort me but he was so lost without her that he never tried. Then to find out that he had another family out here? I just shut down. For the longest time I couldn’t forgive him for loving his new daughter and raising her when he simply walked away from me. I had Raine and I had my own babies and I clung to them, instead of hoping for crumbs from my father’s table.”

After a long silence Sheba asked, “And now? All of us came here to help you find this guy and stop the threat, doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

Cricket nodded. “You need to realize something here. You, Ari, Frank and even Cane are strangers to me. You all have been together for some time now and I never knew about you at all. Why is that?”

Sheba clasped her hands together and said, “Not an excuse but for the most part, we literally have been saving the world.”

Cricket furrowed her brows as she looked confused.

“Seriously, it has been one threat after another.” Sheba shook her head. “Then the most recent was literally one made against the entire world, Cricket. So, I am sorry we didn’t come to visit.”

 Cricket shrugged and looked away. “I have the people here that treat me like family. I have Raine and my kids now. Dusty may have his father and his own family but he loves me for who I am too. That’s enough for me.”

Sheba waited and watched her for a moment then she shook her head. “You may not know and may not care one whit but you got your stubbornness and your strength from your dad’s family. You are like us in that way.” She stood to walk into the darkness. Then she paused to add, “We would like a chance to know you though. I don’t care what Orrin did or did not do right. I value any and all family I might have. So does Ari and Frank.” 

Cricket watched her disappear into the darkness.

 

Chapter Eight

 

The next morning, Deke came into the clubhouse.

 Zipper called him over to where his computer was set up.

“What’s up?” Deke asked.

Zipper looked up at him and snapped, “We had company yesterday and last night.”

“Company?” Deke asked softly. 

“Yeah,” Zipper replied as he looked angry. “He stood there for hours and then came back to watch the compound again. At the time, we were kinda busy running down any information we could find so I didn’t watch the cameras like I should have. I missed it yesterday but went back this morning to check and ran through the time… he was there watching us almost all afternoon.”

“And? You look like you have something more to tell me,” Deke urged.

“And he would have seen our visitors and he knows they are still here. We might want to tell them and become aware of the fact he might come back today, looking for trouble.” Zipper shook his head. “I’m sorry I fucked up bad.”

Deke shook his head. “Naw man, like you said you were busy running down other shit. But you are right about one thing, we have to be aware of him now and we can’t lose sight of his end threat. Get someone else watching the cameras, we might need you to run down even information for us and if that jackass comes back, I want to know it.” Deke straightened his stance and growled, “I better let the Jessins know about this.”

Zipper snorted but didn’t say a word about what he was thinking.

At that moment, Cassie walked over to him and she was shaking her head.  

Deke looked at her and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Cassie looked at him and said, “This whole thing is just so unreal. It's too bad it took something like this to bring her dad’s family here.” She looked at him. “Orrin especially.”

Deke shrugged. “Right now, I’m glad they are here. This is a dangerous situation. But yeah, I think it took a threat like this to wake them up enough to get in touch with her.”

Zipper scoffed. “And now if we could find Zaracke’s daughter, we might have something to combat him with.”

Cassie looked puzzled and asked, “His daughter?”

Deke nodded. “We discovered yesterday that Zaracke’s daughter might not even be dead. A little girl died the night Orrin blew up his house. After finding more information, we don’t think it was his own daughter but the daughter of his half brother, her name was Lydia Lomand.”

When she heard this name, Cassie froze. “Lydia Lomand? Are you sure that was her name?”

Deke paused, then replied, “Yeah, that was her name.”

Cassie shook her head. “Wow, this can’t be a coincidence. I met a woman named Lydia Lomand just the other day at the House. Her story almost broke me. As far as I know, she’s still there.”

“Still there?” Deke growled. “At Redemption, here In Troy?”

Cassie nodded. “As far as I know, she’s still there. Yes.”

Deke looked around the room. He spotted Frank and Bane sitting together, having coffee. Taking Cassie’s hand, he led her over to their table with him and announced, “Gentlemen, we may have word on Zaracke’s daughter.”

Bane snapped his head up and glared at him, “Where is she?” 

“She may be right here in Troy,” Deke informed them.

“That close?” Bane asked. “Where?”

Cassie shook her head. “I don’t know if this woman is the one you’re looking for. But a few days ago, she came to Redemption House, looking for a safe place to stay for a while. She gave her name as Lydia Lomand.”

Frank cleared his throat and said, “We have to be very careful when we approach her then. We have to make sure she really is Cassidy Zaracke before we make our move.”

Cassie glared at Frank. “You will not approach her like she did something wrong.” She turned to look at Bane to add, “And you will certainly not speak to her in any way, shape or form. You would scare her silly. You may not know this Bane but you can bully someone just by looking at them and this woman isn’t strong enough to face you yet.”

Frank chuckled.

With that blank look he often donned, Bane looked over at his father. “Somehtin’ funny, Dad?”

Frank just held his hands up at him. “The truth is the truth, son. And honestly, I like her spirit.”

“If you only knew,” Deke commented as he shook his head. 

Frank looked over at Cassie. “My dear, we really need to speak to this woman. We understand she hasn’t had an easy time of it but we need to know what her father is doing and why he’s coming after Cricket.”

Cassie nodded. “I understand all that crap but I also understand probably much better than you some of what this woman has lived through. I can’t and won’t put her through any more trauma. The people that come to the House need some peace and a chance to get their lives back together. That’s what we offer them and I won’t compromise that for anyone, not even you and your family.”

Frank glanced at Deke.

The Pres of the Sin’s just shrugged. 

Frank looked at Cassie and said, “We would never treat her badly, my dear. All we need is some information from her.”

Cassie turned her head and stared at Bane. “Yeah well, I saw firsthand how Bane just wanted to talk to Cricket a few years ago. There’s no way in hell I’ll allow him to speak to Lydia like that.”

Frank shook his head and explained, “You cannot compare him to the man he was a few years ago. He’s not the same man he was back then.”

“So you say.” Cassie crossed her arms over her chest. “But I don’t know that and right now I don’t care who he is. I have to look out for those who can’t look out for themselves and that includes Lydia. 

“Does this mean you aren’t willing to give me any kind of chance here?” Bane suddenly asked.

Cassie studied him for a long moment then said, “I’m willing to give you and yours the same chance you gave Cricket. You threatened her to find something her parents took from you years before she was even born. You gave her three days to find and return it or you would kill every member of this MC but you never even told her what they took.” She shook her head, “ I see that as playing a deadly cold game. Then after you told her to never darken your door again you returned after you found Grace’s secret along with the son she hid from you. You again, threatened Cricket to get something your grandfather left for Orrin, not for you. Your son took my baby daughter hostage until Cricket handed over the daggers. Cricket and my daughter had to be rescued by another group of men Sam called in, but you got what you wanted didn’t you?” She paused to glare at him. “The only time you stood up for her was after you gave her three days to say her goodbyes. You let her think you would put a bullet in her head to complete a contract on her life. You may not have told her that exactly but that’s what she believed. You knew her by then, you knew she wouldn’t run. That’s just twisted, man. You aren’t her family, because family doesn’t act that way.”

Bane gave her a nod. “I agree that I didn’t know how to treat family or anyone for that matter. I’ve been learning how to be more…” He paused. “...human if you will. But I make no excuses for the man I was. I am not that cold person anymore.”

 Cassie stared at him as if he were a bug under a microscope for a full minute or more then she turned and addressed Frank, “Nor does family allow their children to think they’re dead for years and years. When Cricket came here, she had been at the merciful end of a long miserable journey of complete torture by Cordy. But she returned my daughter and helped find my son. All she had was a little boy with her. A little boy she loved as her own son and even that wasn’t the truth. All she could do was give him away to his real family. Why? Because it was the right thing to do. We all thank God she takes after her mother rather than her father’s side.” She looked at them both and asked, “Why did you both come here? Because to my mind, it wasn’t to save Cricket, it was to catch the one that got away and to tie up your own loose ends.”

The room went silent.

Frank swallowed the lump in his throat.

Bane stared at Cassie, not flinching or looking away. 

Cassie turned to leave.

After a minute, Deke did the same.

Frank turned to look at Bane.

 Bane seemed to absorb what Cassie had just said. Looking up at his father,  he shrugged and said, “Like I told her. All of that was true…Everything she said was true. I’m not even going to deny it.”

Frank just shook his head. “Yeah, it's all true but a couple of years ago, you would have gotten pissed about the way she said it, even if it was true.”

Bane nodded. “Yes, I would have.”

“You don’t have many fans here, brother,” Cane remarked.

“And I shouldn't have.” Bane shrugged. "I never earned that."

“But weren’t you dying because you stood up against an entire MC to save this MC?” Cane queried.

Bane slowly nodded. “But as you well know brother, you cannot wipe sins out by being a martyr. It just doesn’t work that way.”

“Just shows you how far Bane has actually come then doesn’t it?” Orrin commented. “Cassie was able to walk away without you making her sorry she said it.”

Cane snorted at this comment. “And if he went after the president’s woman, none of us would have gotten out of here alive.”

Bane nodded. “Maybe but what she said was the truth. We haven’t treated Cricket well, and they have the right to call us out. Question is what do we do about it?”

Orrin shook his head. “I do know that we can’t go back and change anything that happened in the past. Nothing we do today will ever erase history.”

“But this is our mess to clean up, isn’t it?” Sheba added. 

“Or rather it’s our family’s mess,” Ari clarified.

Frank looked at his children and his niece to reply, “We can at least give Cricket that much.”

Zipper finally looked up and announced, “He’s back.” 

Deke and Sam both rushed over to Zipper's table.

Deke stared at the screen at the man daring to threaten his family and compound. He growled under his breath, “Fucker.” 

 Bane, Orrin and Cane joined them.

Looking at the screen, Orrin asked, “Where is this place?”

Deke looked up at him and replied, “Just beyond the main gate.”

“Sheba and Ari,” Orrin called out. “Can you find him and bring him down?”

Deke snapped his gaze up at the two women.

They smiled at him but their eyes told him they were very serious about doing just like Orrin asked.

When they joined the rest of the group at the screen, Ari took note of the way Zaracke was standing then suggested, “I don’t think he’s alone.”

“What do you mean?” Sam frowned.

Ari pointed at his hands. “He’s got a phone in his hands. I think he’s talking to someone."

Zipper nodded. “She’s right.” He enlarged the screen.

They could all see the phone in Ajax’s hand. Next, he picked up a pair of binoculars. He looked toward the clubhouse while still talking to someone on his phone.

Zipper widened the angel of the cameras and frowned when he caught sight of a small bag at Ajax’s feet. “What the hell?” he swore under his breath. He enlarged the picture again and everyone could see the contents of the bag. 

Three Molotov cocktails. 

Zipper looked up at Deke and saw the other man’s scowl. “Is this his distraction?”

“Maybe, but why do it?” Deke questioned as he looked angry. 

Sam suddenly turned to the two hit women and asked, “Can you girls bring him down without killing him?”

Sheba glanced at Ari and then back at Sam to reply, “We could but why would we? I mean that's no fun.”

Sam sighed heavily as he explained, “Because we need to know who he’s talking to. Like what does this person on the other end of this call have to do with why he’s here and after Cricket?”

“What the hell are you suggesting here, Dad?” Deke asked.

“Think about it for a minute, son,” Sam reasoned. “Why would he come looking for Cricket after all these years? I don’t think he would. Why would he come looking for Orrin after all these years? Especially when the world thought he was dead? Did he need to verify the fact he was dead or did he know Orrin was still alive? Maybe but then again why threaten Cricket? He’s got a plan and this is one way to bring it out into the public forum, but we need to know just what he is doing and who’s behind it all.”

Deke looked at Orrin then Bane and the rest of his family. He now gazed over at the girls to ask, “Can you tranc him?”

Sheba and Ari nodded. 

“Yes, we can,” Ari replied. 

Sheba chuckled and asked, “You want him wrapped up with a bow on top too?”

Sam and Deke stared at her then glanced at Frank in a little confusion.

He smiled at them and chuckled. “Yes, they are serious. But they will bring him here, no worries.”

Deke shook his head. “A bow I don’t care about. But we have questions only he can answer,” he replied as he glared at the screen. “So yes, go and get him.”

 

Chapter Nine

They were all watching the screen while Sheba and Ari went up to the roof. It took them a few minutes to find Zaracke. then it took a few more minutes to plan and execute their best shot. They tossed a coin and Ari won.

Ari lined up her shot and hit him with the tranq dart right on the side of his neck.

He dropped to his knees and the phone fell from his hand.

“Great shot, Cuz!” Sheba cheered.

 Deke nodded at his VP and his dad. 

 Gator and Sam rushed out of the clubhouse to retrieve Zaracke’s body. 

When they brought him in, Orrin went over to his limp body. He studied him for a few seconds then punched him in the face, breaking his nose. 

Frank just shook his head and said, “You know he didn’t feel that, right?”

Orrin nodded. “But he will feel it when he wakes up.” 

“Dude, it would be better if he was awake,” Sheba said as she handed him Zaracke’s phone. 

Orrin stared at it then looked at the last call and paused. He looked over at Zipper and rattled off the number.

Zipper glanced at Deke and at his president’s nod, he reverse directed it. After a minute, he looked up and said,  “Cezar Romano.”

Deke, Gator and Sam didn’t react to the name.

Orrin looked stunned as he stumbled over to the nearest chair and sat down. “Cezar fucking Romano.”

Bane remained silent for a moment then he growled. 

“Just who is Cezar Romano?” Sam asked as he looked back and forth at them.

Bane glared and told them, “He runs the underground and lends money, huge amounts of money to people who need it. Zarcke must have been running out of funds and took a loan with Cezar. God only knows what terms he got.”

Gator stared at the others and then looked at Bane. “How do you know him? Have you ever taken out a loan with this guy?”

Bane scoffed and shook his head. “Hell no, I haven’t. But I’ve heard from people who did and it was always their biggest regret. Cezar’s demands are unrealistic and they have no choice but to do what he wants. They are truly desperate if they go to him for money and they willingly do what he wants.” He looked at Zaracke and shook his head. “Money seems to be the motive but what I want to know is why he chose to come after Cricket? That’s what isn’t making sense here. Cricket doesn’t have any money and she hasn’t got any assets that Cezar would want.”

“Unless her assets are her father’s family,” Sheba suggested. 

Bane snapped his head up to stare at her. “Ok, now that makes sense.”

“Have you ever met this man, Cezar?” Deke wanted to know.

Bane snorted. “Not in person…why would I have? The man is a loan shark. But he may be meeting me soon. Very up close and very personal like.”

 “He contacted me once,” Orin spoke up.

Frank looked over at him and asked, “What did he want?”

Orrin shrugged. “I never asked. In fact, I told him there was no way I would ever work for him. He pointed out that his money was as good as anyone’s and he asked me why I wouldn’t consider it. I told him it wasn’t the money that mattered to me, it was the character of the man behind the money.” He snorted. “But let’s just say he didn’t like being compared to pond scum.”

Bane agreed. “Yeah, that sounds about right. He didn’t like it when I told him online to crawl back into his hole like the slug he was either.” Shaking his head he admitted. “He contacted me for a round of hits against high profile people who had pissed him off. I don’t think they even owed him money actually. Hearing this, I turned him down. He said I was a hit man and wanted to know why I wouldn’t work for him. I told him that even I had some principles and the fact that these men wanted nothing to do with him wasn’t a good enough reason for them to die. In fact, it meant they were probably good men actually. I added that I didn’t want anything to do with him either. And that was it. The end of our association that never was.”

Gator just shook his head and summarized the situation, “So this is their excuse for coming after Cricket? To blackmail her dad and her uncle to work for him?”

Sheba turned to her brothers and asked, “So what are you going to do about this?”

Orrin glared at her and said, “We need to confirm this first. Then I’m gonna blow that bastard to the heavens and watch in glee as he falls all the way to hell.”

“You’re gonna need our help on this, brother.” Sheba reasoned. “You know already that I want in on this mission.”

“Me too,” Ari voiced her being in as well.

Bane held up his hands at them. “We need to confirm everything first, to see just how far Zaracke was willing to go and for what. We also have to locate Lydia and find out what happened to her before we make a move on Cezar.”

Zaracke groaned as he was awakening. They had tied him down to a chair. When he opened his eyes, he found himself facing a line up of men and women glaring at him. Zaracke licked his dry lips and swung his gaze up at Orrin. He looked panicked as sweat broke out on his brow. To avoid Orrin’s glare, he turned his head but found Bane staring back at him with cold eyes. Looking back and forth between the brothers, his gaze paused on Orrin as he asked, “What are you doing here?”

Orrin scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. “You know damn well why I’m we’re. Isn’t this what you wanted when you decided to come after Cricket?”

Zaracke shook his head and tried to lie his way out of the situation, “Who is Cricket? I don’t know anyone by that name.”

“If you don’t know her,” Deke asked him. “Then why have you been watching our compound for the last few days? Why are you watching the comings and goings of the people who live here?”

Ajax Zaracke just glared at him but didn’t say anything. 

 Gator swatted the back of his head.

“Hey!” Zaracke exclaimed at his swat. 

“Answer the question fool.” Gator growled. “If you didn’t send the letter to Cricket then who did?”

Zaracke shrugged. “Ok… so all I did was send a letter, what’s the big deal? And as far as I know, this is still a free country. I can go where I want and stand where I want.”

Bane nodded. “Yeah… It’s a free country.” He smirked coldly at the man. “Not free enough to threaten someone’s life though. And I suppose you can even call whoever you want. By the way, how is sweet ole Cezar doing these days?”

Zaracke growled. “How the hell am I supposed to know? I don’t know any Cezar and I don’t know who you are.”

Bane cocked his head at him as he suddenly realized something. “You don’t know who I am?”

Zaracke nodded. “I’ve been looking for Orrin all these years but I don’t know you. I mean why would I?”

“Does the name Bane Jessin mean anything to you?” Bane finally asked.

Zaracke frowned and his body trembled visibly with fear. “I heard rumors that he was killed a couple of years ago.”

Bane shook his head. “Yeah, the rumors of his death have been greatly exaggerated. I’m very much alive and standing right here. Orrin is my baby brother.”

Zaracke looked white now and asked with a stammer, “Y-you’re B-Bane Jessin?” He looked between Orrin and Bane. “And you two are brothers? I don’t get it. I-I thought Orrin’s name was Tannis? Fuck,” he swore under his breath. “What kind of gig did Cezar get me into here?”

“Gig?” Orrin asked as he looked puzzled.

“Yeah, I’m confused too,” Sheba interjected.

“He’s saying Cezar hired him?” Ari asked.

“Speaking of Cezar, where is that little fucker anyway?” Bane asked.

“How the hell would I know?” Zaracke shot back.

“You’ve been speaking to him regularly for the past few days on this cell phone,” Zipper announced as he raised the phone up.

 Orrin snarled. “Right, so you should know what the fuck we are asking.”

“How much you into him for?” Bane demanded to know.

Zaracke pursed his lips tightly and refused to answer. 

Cane snorted. “That much, huh?”

Zaracke swung his gaze over to see Bane’s twin and his eyes went wide.

 “Sucks to be you then, doesn’t it?” Cane added.

Zaracke slowly shook his head as he looked entirely lost. 

“So what’s the deal then?” Bane queried fiercely. “Were you supposed to kidnap Cricket in order to get our cooperation or what?”

Zaracke shook his head. “No,” was all he said.

“Her kids then?” Orrin snarled. “Is that it? You come in and steal her children for that prick?”

Zaracke now looked fearful as he kept shaking his head at them. 

Bane growled. “You son of a bitch. You sent that letter as a ruse. To scare Cricket. Then you knew we all had arrived. So you were waiting for us to leave then you would pounce.”

“You were gonna come in here and snatch Cricket’s kids away?” Sheba shouted as she caught on to the ugly truth.

Ari looked incensed as she stepped up next to Sheba and exclaimed, “Then you were gonna turn them over to a bastard like Cezar for a payoff?”

Bane stood beside the two women and growled low as he said, “Do you have any idea what he would do to those kids? Do you even care?”

Zaracke just shrugged. “He wouldn’t have hurt them. He just wanted Orrin to contact him for a job he needed done and this was the easiest way to get him on board, that’s all.”

Bane stalked over the chair he’d been tied to. He lifted Zaracke and the chair up off the floor. The veins on his neck stood out due to the utter rage engulfing him. He glared at Ajax and stated in a low voice, “You cockbite… How could you have no idea how much of a sick bastard Cezar really is? If he had gotten his hands on Cricket’s kids he would have sold them to the sex rings, all the while promising not to hurt them. Her kids wouldn’t have lived very long being someone’s toy and believe me he knows every freak in the world. She never would have seen those babies again. He probably has a plane ready and waiting to whisk them away the second he got his hands on them. And you? You would have ended up with a bullet in your useless fucking head. Cause you would be useless to him after that and a dangerous link to Cezar himself. You fucked up big this time, old man.”

Zaracke’s entire body trembled in Bane’s grip. “No! He wouldn't do that. We’ve had several deals in the past and he’s always came through for me before.”

Bane seethed at the utter stupidity of this cretin. “You’re a fool, old man. Cezar is in this for a reason. He works with the biggest cartels to ship these kids out. It’s become a side business for him. I’d thought about going after him before this…Now I will for sure.” Bane brought Zaracke really close and whispered low, “Just know one thing…You and him are both dead already.”

Zaracke shivered, looking desperate. “B-but I never knew you were here or involved!”

“That’s besides the point. I will kill you in any case. Trading kids for a loan? The fuck? You’re less than human. You’re a bug. A piece of slime in the lowest gutter.”

Zaracke had tears running down his cheeks as he looked completely horrified.

Bane tisked under his breath in disgust. “Yeah, go ahead and cry for yourself because no one else will. He knew about me. He’s obviously been planning this. Wanting the Jessins to work for him. Like we wouldn’t know what he did to Cricket’s kids. What a fucking idiot. I told that bastard years ago no and he damn well knew it.”

Zaracke shook his head. “He never told me that. He never said a word about you!”

Bane threw him and the chair away from him. The noise when he hit the floor was audible. 

Zaracke cried out and laid on the floor while whimpering.

Bane turned to his family. “Now we have to hunt down this bastard and make sure he gets the message, this time loud and clear.”

Sheba and Ari nodded.

Cane glowered. “How do we find him if he doesn’t want to be found?”

Bane slowly turned his head to glare at Zaracke. “We’ll just use his messenger.”

Zaracke shuddered yet again at the terrifying look in Bane Jessin’s eyes. He tried to swallow but the lump in his throat wouldn’t allow it. For the first time in a very long time, Ajax Zaracke was truly afraid.

Gator got a couple of the men together and hauled Zaracke out of the clubhouse into the cell area. Gator untied the man. Then when they threw him into the cell and locked the door Gator stared at him for a moment before he said, “Even I wouldn’t ever want to see that look on Bane Jessin’s face again. If you don’t do exactly what he says, you ain’t gonna live long. That man scares most men to death before he actually kills them. He claims he’s changed but he ain’t changed that much at his core. You come after his family and you’ll find that out the hard way. To my mind, you crossed the line when you went after Cricket. It’s a rare thing for him but he kind of likes her and you threatened her. I wouldn’t want to be you in this world or the next.”

Zaracke shook his head. “It was supposed to be just another deal. All Cezar wanted was a way to speak to Orrin. He came up with the idea of snatching the kids, not me. Hell, I hate kids.”

Gator shook his head. “Yeah we know. Especially after what happened to your own. You are one sick puppy. But you heard from Bane exactly what he wanted those kids for, didn’t you? Not cool man, just not cool. You should have stayed dead as far as we’re concerned.” He paused then had to ask, “What kind of money was in this deal for you anyway? Since that seems to be all you care about.”

Ajax shrugged. “500 k. I needed it to buy into a high stakes poker game and didn’t want to use my own money.”

Gator just shook his head and let out a cold laugh. “You did it for a card game? How fucking pitiful man, just pitiful.”

 

Chapter Ten

 

When Gator got upstairs again, he found everyone gathered around the security monitor at Zipper’s table. They had seen and heard what Zarake had told him about why we wanted the money from Cezar. 

Zipper sat at his laptop next to that other screen, doing his best to track the call Zaracke had been on when he got caught. Probably using every tool in his book. Finally, he looked up and he was smiling. "I found him,” he said softly.

“Where is he?” Orrin growled, clenching his hands into fists.

 Deke studied him for a long moment. “You can’t go off half cocked on this man, Orrin. As Bane already pointed out, if you go after him, he’ll go so far underground he will never be seen again.’

“I agree,” Frank told his son. “We have to do this smart if we want to take him and his whole operation down.” 

“I know that and you’re right,” Orrin said. “I want to take him down in the worst way possible but I’m not stupid either.”

Deke shook his head. “No one said you were but we need to discuss this before you go off on him. This guy Cezar is a leech on humanity and he can’t go on without facing the consequences of his actions.”

Cane nodded. “I think he’s got a point brother, let’s hear him out.”

“For one thing, we can shadow the man so we know where he is,” Frank suggested. “I have a network I can reach out to and they can follow him until we can form a takedown plan.”

Deke nodded. “Yeah, you do that.” He turned to Bane and Orrin. “But we also need to know everything you guys know about this guy, so we can form a plan to put him out of business once and for all.”

“He’s in New York City,” Zipper announced. “Somewhere in the underground. He hangs out at two of the strip clubs just off Broadway.”

"Yeah, so you can't just go out after him, Bane," Deke said. "And get at him that easily."

Bane sat down and clasped his hand together and thought for a moment then said, “The hell I can't. Even he knew what I could do and he also knew I was the best of the best at what I did. He made contact because there were a trio of businessmen that ticked him off. He wanted to end all three of them and take over their businesses. I told him I wasn’t interested and he upped the ante to make it worth my while. I kept telling him no for the next week. With every phone call, he offered me more money. I finally had to tell him to never call me again or I would find him and put a bullet in his head just because I could. I left him a message that I could find him anywhere, anytime I wanted.”

“How did you do that?” Sheba asked with a curious look.

Bane smiled but the glee didn’t reach his eyes. “I waited until the next morning when he was about to leave his house. I put a bullet in his door frame just as he was about to walk out of his front door. Then I texted him that I wouldn’t give him a second warning shot.” He shrugged. “It worked, he never called me again.”

“Until now,” Cane remarked. 

Bane nodded. “Until now and this time, I won’t miss.”

“Were you serious when you told Zaracke what Cezar had in mind for Cricket’s kids?” Cassie asked.

Bane looked at her and nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure that’s what that bastard had in mind for the kids. He has done that before actually. Cezar is just that kind of guy.”

Cassie shook her head as tears filled her eyes.

Deke wrapped her in his arms, telling her, “That isn’t going to happen.” 

Bane surged to his feet and growled, “No it isn’t going to happen. I won’t allow that creep to come near Cricket or her kids. Cezar will never have another moment’s peace until I pull that trigger. The arrogant fucker thinks he can force his will on me and my family? This will be the last mistake he will ever make.”

Cane turned to Cassie and said, “I also think you should bring this woman Lydia in and offer her protection. If Zaracke knew she was this close, he might do something to prevent her from saying anything about what happened to her as a little girl.”

Sam shook his head and reasoned, “He can’t do anything where he is right now. Besides, why would he care anyway?”

“How do you know he doesn’t have someone outside these walls keeping an eye on his back?” Cane suggested.  “Maybe even a go between, between him and Cezar? Who, by the way, isn’t the type of guy that leaves his marks out in the world alone to shoot off their mouths about his business practices.”

Sam narrowed his eyes and gritted his response, “You really think this Cezar guy has someone watching Zaracke?”

Cane shrugged. “I would if I were him and smart about my underground businesses, and Cezar is very smart about not getting caught. He knows how Zaracke is about money and how much he can’t stand being close to being broke. I don’t think Zaracke wanted that money for poker either. Zaracke isn’t the idiot he claims to be.”

“Thought you didn’t know him?" Sam grumbled. 

“I don’t but I have a few skills in knowing people, let's say. And I saw something that I’ve seen a thousand times before. His eyes shifted up and to the left. That means he’s lying through his teeth and I can’t believe Bane bought it.”

“What makes you think I bought his little act?” Bane smirked at his twin. “Yeah, he was lying but that told me he had another reason and until I know what that reason is, I’m not letting up. He’ll tell me the real reason he came here, don’t worry.” He looked over at Cassie and said, “But you do need to get that woman some protection right away. Even with her dad downstairs, she might be in danger. Especially if Cezar is watching him and I have to agree with Cane, he’s that type of man.”

Cassie looked up at Deke and at his nod, she sighed hard. “Ok, I’ll get Amos to bring her over then. I know she’ll come if he brings her.” Shaking her head she admitted, “I’m not so sure she’ll stay once she finds out he’s here though. She got a lot of secrets she’s hiding and I think her father being here might be one secret she’s not ready to explain yet. I have a feeling there might be bad blood between those two. She is not ready to talk about it yet and if we force this confrontation, she might never be willing to tell us.” She looked up at Bane and said, “She’s in a really fragile state right now and this might break her. I’ve seen it before. Some of the people who come to us are coming to us in their last hope for a break in their bad luck. Some of them we can help and some of them we can’t. This is one I want to help but you guys mess this up for her and I’ll never forgive you.” She turned her back and walked away to enter the kitchen. 

Once she left the group, Ari said, “She’s one tough bitch.”

“Don’t you ever call her a bitch.” Deke growled.

Ari held her hand up at him. “No offense man, but that isn’t an insult. Sometimes the world needs tough bitches like her and this is one of those times. I am actually in awe of her and wished I had her around when I needed the help. I barely survived but I did survive.”

Deke still looked rather pissed off then he glanced at the closed kitchen door with worry in his eyes. Looking over at Bane, he asked, “So what is your plan to take down this Cezar freak?”

“First, we have to find out if Cezar or Zaracke has anyone watching his back. If the coast is clear, we find out where Cezar is located and we watch him for a couple of days. Once we know for sure what his plan is, we move on him. I want to get James and Bastian in on this as they can help us set him up. I’m not willing to let the bastard go or disappear on us. He wanted us? Well now, he’s fucking gonna get us.”

“Only he won’t be so happy ending up dead.” Orrin growled. “At least when we get done, Cricket won’t have to be afraid anymore. I might not have been there for her growing up but I’m here now.” He met Deke’s gaze and Sam’s gaze.

Both men stared back. They didn’t seem sorry about their opinions on this subject at all.

Frank patted Orrin’s shoulder and looked across at the Sin’s Prez and his father. “I too missed out on my children growing up. I did it for their sake, but that doesn’t make it feel any better. It will never make up for missing their upbringing.” He looked over at the twins and Orrin, then over at Sheba. “I got lucky to be able to share a part of their lives and work now. I hope someday, Cricket will allow Orrin to do the same.” He then stepped aside and made a couple of phone calls. 

Deke and Sam looked around at Frank’s ‘kids.’

Bane shrugged and glanced at Sheba.

She shrugged as well.

Cane slowly shook his head.

Orrin sighed and clasped his hands onto the table. 

“Not that it is our business,” Sam spoke up. “But since he mentioned it, why didn’t he raise you himself?”

“Mommy Dearest,” Bane scoffed.

“Yeah, our mother was…Not great,” Orrin agreed.

Sheba stared at the two men and said, “She sold me to an assassin training school when I was 12 years old. But Frank never even knew I existed either. So he wasn’t to blame for that.”

They blinked at her surprise.

“Yeah.” She nodded. “So I think that gives you an idea of what he meant.”

 Frank came back to the group and said, “I have my Knights looking for Cezar Romano.  One of them actually knows him well and has been keeping an eye on his enterprises for a while now. It shouldn’t take him long to find him in the city. He’ll let us know as soon as he finds him again.”

“What are we going to do with the man downstairs?” Gator asked. “We need more information from him before we move in on Cezar.”

Orrin stood from the table and said, “You let me and Bane take care of him. We’ll try to leave him alive enough to make him talk and this time, he will tell us the truth.”

“I need my bag from the car,” Bane said. “I’ll be right back.”

Cane watched his brother leave the clubhouse and shook his head. “I was hoping he’d left that bag at home.”

Sam looked over at Cane to ask, “Why? What’s he got in the bag?”

Cane shook his head.

 Orrin smiled. “Just his own tools of the trade. They might come in handy with our questioning.”

Frank set his hand on Orrin’s shoulder. “Go easy on the man, ok? We need truthful answers, not just what he thinks we want to know.”

Orrin shrugged and nodded. “Geeze Dad, Bane knows what he’s doing by now. I would think, so that’s a bit moot on your part. But honestly, I almost don’t trust myself with Cezar.”

Frank just shook his head. “That’s why Cane should go along with you boys. He might keep a cool head about this.”

Cane shook his head. “No thanks, I’ve seen Bane at work before and I have no desire to see it again anytime soon.”

“What a big baby.” Sheba scoffed. “I’ll go down there with them if nothing else to keep Zaracke alive for the final showdown.”

Cane got to his feet and said, “I’ll just go get Bane some clean clothes then. She might not react well to the sight of blood.”

“Oh, come on, bro,” Sheba spoke up. “I have never seen a speck on him after his questioning is done.”

Ari agreed, “Yeah, he’s like Mr. Teflon or Mr. Clean when it comes to this. In fact, James calls him Mr. Hefty Bag.”

Sheba rolled her eyes and smirked. “True, but that isn’t because he's so neat about it. He uses that to get rid of…” Her voice trailed away as she halted and looked around at the club members.

They all stared at her with various expressions of horror or disbelief.

“TMI, sis. TMI,” Cane muttered.

Bane joined them again. He ignored the silence at the table as he nodded at Orrin.

Sheba stood and said, “I’m gonna be in on this one.”

Bane shrugged and replied, “Your prerogative.”

Cassie came back into the main room.

 They all silently watched as the three siblings headed toward the cell area.

 Looking over at Deke, Cassie swallowed hard then said, “Amos agreed to bring her but I think I’ll meet them at our house. I don’t want her to hear the screams that I’m sure are coming.”

Deke shook his head. “The basement is soundproof, babe. We never heard a thing when Leon questioned Siobhán. So she won’t even know he’s here unless we tell her.”

Sam nodded. “And believe me Cassie Girl, no one will be talking about this anytime soon.” He shuddered as he shook his head.

 

Chapter Eleven

 

Bane, Orrin and Sheba came down the stairs. They all stood there and just studied Ajax Zaracke for a moment or two.

 Bane then moved over to a small table and set his small duffel bag down . He didn’t say a word as he opened the bag then took items out of it.

Zaracke stared at him for a moment then looked over at Orrin. “What the hell is he doing?” he grumbled.

Orrin shrugged. “He’s getting ready to question you.”

“About what? I told him everything I knew already.” Zaracke snarled.

“Really?” Orrin raised an eyebrow at him. “You mean that shit you tried to sell us upstairs? That’s your story?” Shaking his head he said, “That crap was nothing but lies and we want the truth. So we’re going to start all over and this time, you’re going to tell us the truth.”

Zaracke glanced at Sheba and asked, “Why is she here?”

Orrin smiled. “She’s here as moderator.”

“Moderator?” Zaracke asked.

“Sure, Bane might need someone to reel him in.  Besides, she's not squeamish at the sight of blood.”

Zaracke swallowed hard and looked at Bane again. 

Bane took out a small blowtorch from his bag.

 Zaracke tried to swallow again but discovered he had no spit left in his mouth. “What do you want to know?” he finally whispered, not taking his eyes off Bane.

Bane suddenly turned and glared at him. “Let’s start with something easy, ok? Like what’s your name, your real name because Ajax Zaracke isn’t it.”

Zaracke paled and began to tremble. “That’s my name. Why would I lie about that?”

Bane shook his head. “Because you’re hiding your real identity and I want to know why.”

Zaracke started and stared at him. “I am Ajax Zaracke.”

Bane fired up the blow torch and moved toward him. “I know that’s a lie. Would you like to know how I discovered that?”

Zaracke nodded. 

Bane moved closer still and the flame increased as he turned it up. “Ajax Zaracke died of Cholera as an infant, a hundred and fifty years ago in a small New England town. His date of birth was July first 1874. You see, I do my homework and after Orrin blew up your house killing that little girl, I did some digging. You might be surprised at what I found. I made sure word about it got to the right people. So, the police already know your wife was dead before the explosion, so you don’t have that to fall back on and your insurance company is looking for you to get their money back. You know the five million  they paid out for her death? Seems if you killed her, you shouldn’t profit from her death benefits either. Shocking I know but what can you do? Insurance companies frown on things like that.” He paused, then said, “And then there’s your daughter’s claim as well.”

Zaracke looked confused. “My daughter’s claim? What about it? Orrin blew her up that night.”

Bane shook his head. “No, he didn’t. Yes, a little girl died that night but she wasn’t your daughter after all. She was your half brother’s little girl and she wasn’t supposed to be there in the house that night, was she?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Zaracke retorted harshly. “As far as I know, it was Cassidy in the house that night.”

“But it really wasn’t,” Orrin told him. “I saw her face and she wasn’t Cassidy at all. It was her cousin at the window that night.”

Zaracke paled even more. “You saw her? You saw her face?”

Orrin nodded. “Yeah, you bastard I saw her face and she looked terrified just as I hit the switch on the remote, then everything went to hell when the explosion happened.”

“Oh, sweet Jesus,” Zaracke muttered.

“Nah, I doubt if Jesus would ever help you,” Sheba finally spoke up. “So don't call on him. That’s blasphemy.” She glanced over at Bane and said, “I got an idea if you want to hear it.”

Bane nodded.

 Sheba grinned at him and explained, “We used to play this game at the academy. You tie someone up and torture them just to test their loyalty to us and the academy.”

“No, I don’t want to play that game, no way.” Zaracke backed up against the wall. “I’ve already told you what I know. I don’t know anymore!”

Sheba snorted. “You wouldn’t know the truth if it dressed up like a clown then came in here to bite you in the ass.” She turned to her brothers with a grin on her face. “Shall we play the game?”

Bane shut off the blow torch and nodded. “I’m willing. It sounds like fun to me.” 

Orrin grinned. “Me too.”

Zaracke shook his head. “I have no desire to play.”

Sheba shook her head and scoffed. “Too bad, scumbag. You are all we got to play with. You're the ball so to speak. Maybe you’ll even learn the hard way to always tell the truth.” She opened the door with the key and walked inside the cell. “To get ready, you have to strip off your clothes.”

“What the hell?” Zaracke exclaimed. “No way am I taking off my clothes! You’re nuts lady, I don’t care who the hell you are, I’m not stripping.”

Sheba reached out and grabbed his throat with her fingers spread out on either side of his larynx. “But you will, little Ajax the infant. You are the main part of the game, ya know?” She squeezed his air-pipe.

Ajax struggled to breathe. He tried to fight back but somehow she held all the power. Grasping at her, he fell to his knees then he had no strength left. 

She dropped him to the floor and he hit with a thud. Sheba stepped away from him and flicked her hands as if she thought he had cooties. “Ok, since he wouldn’t cooperate, maybe you boys could strip his clothes off.”

“All of them?” Bane asked her with a raised his brow.

Sheba made a face and said, “Maybe not all of them. I have no desire to see what the infant’s packing.” She giggled. “Nooo, I really have no desire to see that.”

Bane and Orrin took no time in stripping Zaracke's clothing. Then they hog tied him and strung him up from a hook on the ceiling. 

A few minutes later, Zaracke woke up due to water being rudely splashed in his face. Staring down at his mostly bare body, he protested by shouting, “What the hell is going on here?”

Sheba walked over to Bane’s bag and motioned her head to it as if asking permission to look into it. 

Bane shrugged and nodded at her.

 Reaching inside, she took out a small baseball bat. She swung it and the bat smacked her hand sharply.  “This will work for round one.” Then she walked over to where Zaracke was hanging. She looked him in the eyes and said, “My brother asked you what your name was and you lied, care to change your answer now?”

Zaracke shook his head. “I am Ajax Zaracke!”

She swung the bat and it hit his rib cage with a sharp thud. 

Zaracke shouted in pain as he felt one of his ribs break inside his rib cage. For a moment, he couldn’t draw a breath then he screeched in agony. 

Sheba waited a moment then asked again, “What is your name?”

“Ajax…” He tried again to lie.

 Uh, uh.” Sheba swung the bat at his other side. 

More pain flooded his body as he screamed again and tried to catch his breath. “Stop… stop. I can’t breathe!”

She leaned in close and asked, “What’s your name?” 

“Ajax,” he tried to tell her. 

 Instead of letting him finish, Sheba swung the bat again and this time she swung at his leg. 

Everyone heard the bone snap in his thigh. 

Again, Zaracke shouted out in pain and this time his head fell forward as he passed out.

Bane looked over at Sheba and whistled slightly. “Sis, that was brutal, you are a part of this family for sure. Outstanding!” He clapped to give her applause.

Sheba rolled her eyes and scoffed. “He didn’t tell us anything yet, so I’m just getting warmed up.” Shaking her head, she suggested, “Throw some water on this moron and wake him up for round two.” 

Orrin grabbed another glass of water and doused Zaracke with it.

He woke up spitting out water. “What the hell? Are you trying to drown me or what?” He glared at the group. When his eyes fell on Sheba, he growled. 

Sheba walked around behind him as if simply talking to her brothers and said, “Did you know there are two-hundred and six bones in the human body? There are twenty six bones in the human foot alone and they are extremely fragile. In fact, they break very easily. And did you know if you break enough of those fragile bones, it will affect the way you walk?”

Bane crossed his arms over his chest and then shook his head. “Huh, interesting fact.”

Sheba smiled and said, “Yeah, isn’t it? Did you also know that during world war two the Japanese used to torture the enemy by smacking the bottoms of their feet with bamboo sticks? Now I’ve heard it is very painful but you have to be very careful when you do something like that. You could really hurt someone if you're too harsh.” Then she swung the bat yet again.

It hit his foot with a whap that echoed in the room. 

Zaracke screamed until he lost his voice.

Orrin shook his head and said, “Damn little sister, maybe you overdid that one.”

Sheba shrugged. “I’ve discovered something, I really hate liars and all this idiot has done is lie to us.” She hefted the bat up as she added, “Only 200 bones to go."

Zaracke shook his head and groaned in misery. “Ok, ok, I’ll tell you the truth. Just keep her away from me!”

Bane leaned closer to look him in the eye and asked, “What is your real name?” 

“Darnel... Darnel Roma,” he admitted in a whisper. “God help me, my name is Darnel Roma!”

Sheba leaned in close to whisper in his ear, “The Lord Almighty will not help you either. Don’t you know only decent people who do not murder children will be heard in heaven? Your sins are too great and now it is time to pay the consequences.” Shaking her head she added, “And buddy you got a lifetime of sins to pay for.”

Orrin smiled and asked, “Can I start round three?” 

Bane swung his gaze over at his brother. 

Orrin moved toward Bane’s little bag of tricks and asked, “May I?” He motioned toward the small duffel. 

“Knock yourself out.” Bane smirked at him.

Orrin looked into the bag and smiled. Reaching inside, he brought out a small cigar clipper. 

Sheba looked on curiously. “Hmm, that looks like fun.” She grabbed the blowtorch and drew her knife from her side sheath. Looking up at Orrin, she said, “You can clip and I can cauterize. We can’t leave too much of a mess down here as this isn’t our house. Blood isn’t easy to clean up from the floor, ya know? It gets in all the little cracks and crevasses in the floorboards. You just can’t get it all up no matter how much you scrub.”

 Darnel/Zaracke gasped and stared at Bane. “What else do you want to know? I’ll tell you just don’t let them near me, please, I’m begging you!”

Bane decided to test his word, so he asked, “Tell me how you know Cezar Romano.”

“We grew up together. We’re third cousins,” Darnel offered hurriedly. “Thirty years ago, he wanted to be rich. When he came up with a plan, there was no stopping him after that.”

Bane looked confused and asked, “And what was the plan exactly?”

“He started out setting up an underground poker game with high stakes and high rewards. He knew some guys that could deal and make the house win every time. So he had me and a couple other guys standing by watching him work the room.” That’s what started this whole mess. Cezar made a ton of money and he wanted more. God forgive me, he wanted more and he set up his empire that night. It was him, me and another cousin, Luis Vega.”

The siblings all stared at him then looked at each other.

Sheba slowly shook her head at Darnel. “You got a lot of splainin to do, Ricky,” she quipped in a Cuban accent.