Hell Fire Riders MC: The Complete MC Series, page 27
“What are they so puffed up about?”
“A tip came in about unusual activity around some caves near Kansas City. Trent Cramer went with a team to check it out and found the caves filled with very potent bombs. There were enough of the damn things to do some very real damage. Speculation is high about what the bombs were meant for.” He paused then asked, “Do you know anything about that?”
Stone was quiet for a long moment then said, “My friend for that information, I need to tell you in person. I don’t trust the airwaves. Let’s just say if those bombs had been used for their intended purpose, our nation would no longer exist. I’ll tell you about it the next time we meet.”
Shay waited for a moment before he said anything, “Okay, that is a discussion for another day. I do have other news for you. The Coast Guard boarded a boat out beyond the three mile marker. It reportedly had been abandoned.”
“And?”
“There was a body on board. It was someone who had been tortured and finally killed. What they did to him, I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. He was a mess. They barely had enough left of him to identify. His name was Patrick Rivers.” Shay paused then added, “He was one of ours but he was listed as missing in action over a year ago and the action wasn’t in this country. I have to wonder how he ended up back here.”
Stone fisted his phone so hard, he thought the fragile plastic would be crushed in his hand. “He was not one of us.” He growled. “The Patrick Rivers we knew over a year ago in Iraq was actually a man named Terik Salmone. He was responsible for the bomb that took Wesley Pope’s life. He allowed the Taliban into our camp that day then he walked out and straight into the arms of his true brothers. Wyatt was taken hostage that day and tortured for days, months even, while Terik was treated like a king. But you know all of that from the debriefing.”
“When did you discover all of this?” Shay asked.
“You debriefed Wyatt didn’t you?” Stone countered.
“Yeah, I did.”
“Then you know the story.”
Shay sighed. “I never really did find out how you uncovered the plot against us. Our experts looked at the evidence you turned over and couldn’t make heads or tails out of it.”
Stone paused. Before Shay had come back to debrief Wyatt, they had made copies of the info he’d brought back with him and handed the copies over to Shay. The map Trudy found had been dismantled, the pages stacked one on top of the other. They’d talked out just what they would tell Shay and to protect Trudy, they all decided not to tell him everything. Stone and Dewey also decided not to tell Shay about her. Shay, he knew could keep her identity a secret but he didn’t want to chance it. If the government knew about her, she would be taken and hidden against the world but she would lose her freedom. She would forever be controlled by the very men she wanted nothing to do with, in hidden bunkers.
“You aren’t going to tell me, are you?” Shay finally asked.
“No, I’m not.” Stone finally admitted. “Some secrets are better not shared.”
“Okay, keep your secrets then,” Shay replied.
“Have you heard anything more on Brigadier General Chassen?” Stone changed the trend of the conversation.
Shay sighed. “That man is a royal pain in the ass. He insists he’s being set up, that Ronnie was set up too. He claims the boy was drugged against his will. He also claims his enemies want to disgrace his name and title and that he wouldn’t stand for it. Claims his enemies began dragging his life down the drain when they murdered his wife and he’s been dodging them ever since.”
“I thought his wife died by being hit by a drunk driver?” Stone frowned.
“She did.” Shay sighed. “I looked up the report on her death. Chassen is just plain crazy. He thinks everyday life is somehow a plot against him. He thinks he’s more important than he really is.” He hesitated then added, “I also looked into the charge that he threw his fourteen year old daughter out. That is very true. Then I spoke to Ronnie. I’m afraid I came down a little hard on him but his actions could have cost that girl her life. Ronnie admitted everything. He’s in rehab now. Only God knows if it’s going to work out for him or not, but I hope it does. He has some hard things to live with and make amends for. He’s also got some prison time to do.”
“What about Amanda?”
“Amanda was questioned then collected and rode off into the sunset with some guy named Sniper. For now, she says she wants nothing to do with either her father or her brother. She told me when she gets her head on straight, she’s going to try and find her sister. They have some things to work out and she’s hoping Tremaine will give her another chance to make thing right between them.”
Stone waited for his questions but they never came. Finally he asked, “You haven’t asked or said anything about Tremaine Chassen. Why is that?”
“I figure, I don’t need to know. I have a feeling she’s well protected. I did notice the first day I came around that not only was your group there, the Crimson Tide was present and accounted for as well,” Shay revealed. “I know some of those men and the young man who came for Amanda was wearing their vest. Crimson Tide are all good men.” He hesitated then added, “If they were there with you, I know I can trust them. I have also worked with a few of those men in the past.”
“They are good men,” Stone admitted. “They are also part of our new network.”
“Good. I’m very glad to hear we have vets watching our backs.”
Stone chuckled. “More so than you know.”
“Huh?”
“Word about this project is spreading and spreading quickly. I’m getting calls from all over the place and they all have one thing in common. They are all veterans. I met a man in Troy, New York that came aboard and he said he would spread the word. I guess he kept that promise. His name is Amos Billings.”
Shay was silent for a moment. “You got Amos on board with this project?”
“Yeah I do. He was one of the men involved with a second chance house I went to see while I was there. His men were homeless until Cassie Tory took them in and gave them a new purpose in life. She gave them a second chance and it’s working out well both for them and for her. We’ve been thinking about setting up a place here like that here. It’s called Redemption House and its working in New York.”
“Good, I’m glad he found a place to call his own again. I’ll do some checking on Redemption House and see what all the hubbub is about,” Shay replied. “Amos was only one of the many men who got shafted by our government. He served gallantly during the war and then got nothing in return for his service. I thought he turned his back on everything that ever meant anything to him but I’m glad he didn’t. Amos is a good man.”
“Yeah, he is.” Stone agreed.
“Well, I’d better get going. I have to walk around the street and discover the newest rumors floating around this town.” Shay sighed heavily. “Sometimes, this place reminds me of Sodom and Gomora, with all the sin and back stabbing everywhere.”
Stone chuckled. “I’m so happy I don’t live there. All we have here are the Gulf winds and crawdads. One is good to eat and the other is some bother, but not much.”
“Take care old man. I’m sending something for the new baby. I hope your woman will see the humor in it.”
Stone hung up the call and turned to find Dewey and a couple of his men standing behind him.
“So what did he have to say?” Dewey asked as he crossed his huge arms over his chest.
“They found Terik or what was left of him. They ID’d him as Patrick Rivers and I set him right on that. We don’t have to worry about him anymore,” Stone explained. “The ATF found and confiscated the bombs. They don’t know what they were intended for but they destroyed them, so they couldn’t be used again.”
“What about the evidence we gave them?” Parker asked. “Did they figure that out?”
Stone smiled. “Nope, their experts can’t make heads or tails out of it.’ He chuckled. “But then they don’t have Trudy on their side either. It takes someone like her to make sense of it all.”
“And her family?” Dewey asked.
Stone scoffed. “Her father is blaming everyone but who’s really to blame. He could be facing a military court for what he did to her. He’s losing ground and may end up losing his rank before he’s forced to retire. Ronnie is in rehab but he too, is facing charges for what he did.”
“And Amanda?” Dewey asked. “What about her?”
“She told them what she knew, then Sniper came for her. She’s with him now.”
Dewey’s hands fisted. “Does she want to see Trudy?”
“Hey man, that’s between them, don’t you think?” he said softly.
“Normally, I would agree with you, but I don’t know if I can in this regard. I think she’s been hurt enough by her family. Those are the people she should have been able to count on, they should’ve had her back no matter what, but they didn’t exactly do that now, did they? Time after time, they threw her under the bus, leaving her broken and bleeding and alone in her grief. Enough is enough.” He growled. “She isn’t alone anymore and I won’t let them break her again.”
“We’ve all got her back man,” Parker stated.
Dewey glanced over at the other man and nodded. Then he turned and went back inside.
Stone watched him go and shook his head. “He is so stubborn sometimes.”
Parker and the others turned to him. “He found that something special that every man looks for with her. He’s a lucky man.”
“I think he knows that.” Stone nodded. “He’s in love and it hurts him to see her hurt. I agree with him on one point, she’s been hurt more than enough for one lifetime.”
“Amen brother,” Parker said. “We’ll have his back and now, she’s one of us so we’ll have her back too.”
Stone paused then gazed at his men. “Trudy has come up with some very good ideas about security for this place, to protect us and her from whoever comes looking for trouble. With what our mission is I think these are very good ideas. Likewise, if she’s going to stay here, we have to be able to keep her safe and comfortable. We need to discuss the changes and get started on the work involved with this. I also want to start looking into setting up a place to give people who need it a second chance. I saw a place like that in New York and I want that here.”
Everyone followed him back inside. They would have a lot of work to do and they couldn’t wait to get started.
Chapter Two
Georgia groaned as she came awake. Her entire body was in pain. From the top of her head to the souls of her bare feet. Even her throat was on fire. For a moment, she couldn’t remember what happened to her. She laid in the darkness and tried to listen to the sounds around her.
The room was dark and hot. She could barely breathe and it wasn’t from the radiating pain in her ribcage. She could hear the sounds of waves crashing from somewhere in the distance. She frowned as she listened closer. She thought she heard voices in the other room but they were so low, she couldn’t be sure.
Georgia closed her eyes for a moment then opened them and struggled to get to her feet. Her head exploded and she fell to her knees. Nausea washed over her and she was almost sick to her stomach but she held it in. Lifting her hands to her head, she found several places were bruised and an open wound on the back of her head. She looked down at her legs and discovered they were bare. She was dressed in just the t shirt and panties she’d worn to bed last night.
She frowned as she racked her brain to remember what happened but the night before remained a complete blank. She crawled very slowly over to the door and sat against the wall as she tried to hear the voices on the other side.
Finally, after a few minutes the voices she heard became clear enough to listen.
“So what are we gonna do with the woman?”
A sharp laugh sounded. “We paid good money for the bitch, what do you think I’m gonna do with her?”
She heard several different voices laugh out loud. Georgia frowned.
“Yeah, we did didn’t we? Of course, her old man was too drunk to know what he did.”
“That’s not my fault,” the man said. “Can’t help the fact he’s a lush.”
“Yeah, it’s too bad we had to rough her up though.”
“She’ll learn her place. She don’t have a choice anymore.”
Georgia closed her eyes and rested her head against the wall behind her. She was remembering somethings now…a conversation she had with her father. He hadn’t come home in two days and she’d gone out to track him down. The town they lived in wasn’t that big, so she found him quick enough. Jarrett, Louisiana only had two bars. The Ghost Rider and the Golden Goose. When she didn’t find him at the Goose, she knew she’d find him at the Ghost Rider.
When she got there, Emma, the bar owner nodded toward the back door. She found her dad passed out in the alley behind the bar. She tried to wake him up enough to get him home. He woke up but kept babbling incoherently about not having a choice and that he was so sorry. Then he went on about her leaving town.
Georgia hadn’t known what he was talking about, so she ignored his ramblings. But when she got him to his feet, he stumbled away from her. Then he tried to give her some crumpled bills and told her she needed to leave town quickly. He apologized again and again then staggered away into the darkness. Georgia went home and got ready to go to bed. She figured whatever was going on would be settled in the morning.
Later, she’d been woken up when someone grabbed her out of her bed. The room was dark, so she’d hadn’t seen who’d grabbed her. She screamed and fought back but whoever grabbed her was stronger. They hit her time and time again until finally, they struck her hard enough in the back of the head to knock her out.
As things came back to her, she realized just what her father was talking about. She needed to know who was out there. Who was she a prisoner of?
She pulled on the doorknob and cracked the door open. When she did, her heart sank. The men sitting in the outer room were Grim Reapers. She could see the leather vests on their back and they all said the same thing. She closed the door again softly, but not all the way, not wanting to bring any attention to the fact she’d opened it in the first place. If they thought she was still passed out, it would give her time to figure a way out of this situation.
She looked around the small room. In the dimness, she couldn’t see everything but what she could make out she didn’t like. It must have been a bedroom at one time but now, it was just a dirty hovel. A mattress lay on the floor, pushed up into the corner it had no sheets or even a pillow. The window was boarded over which didn’t allow much light into the room but what little there was showed her there was a pile of clothing on the floor next to the mattress. She moved over to it and saw her jeans laying there. They were the same ones she’s taken off last night before going to bed. She didn’t find her shoes though.
Slipping her jeans over her bare legs, she left something heavy in her back pocket. Pulling it out she saw it was her cell phone. Turning it on, she noticed it survived being thrown on the floor. She quickly turned it off and went back to her spot by the door. She needed to know what she was up against.
Sitting down, she brought her knees up to her chest and rested her head on them. At the moment, she thought things couldn’t get any worse. The Grim Reapers were one of the local MC’s. They were ruthless outlaws who thought they didn’t have to follow the laws of everyday life. They had everyone in the area scared to come up against them and for a very good reason.
Jarrett was a small town, only three hundred and four people lived here…just another small town in Louisiana, where everyone knew everyone else’s business or thought they did. Nothing ever happened that ten minutes later everyone in town knew about. But the Grim Reapers were everyone’s concern and now, they thought they owned her. This was not good news.
She didn’t notice it at first but soon, a new sound permeated the air. It held a hint of danger and it made her curious. She opened the door again and peeked out carefully. There were three additional men standing there talking to the Reapers. They were all tall and dark, their hair and their skin color. They were well dressed and clean looking. Nothing at all like the Reapers, who hadn’t seen a bar of soap in weeks.
“All we need you to do is cause enough trouble around town, so we can get what we need to do, done without anyone realizing what we’re doing,” one of the new men explained. “Can you do that?”
The leader, a man named Lyle Boyd, got to his feet. He stood nearly as tall as the men he faced but the difference between them was noticeable. He was dressed in blue jeans and a dirty t shirt. His hair long and greasy looking, as if he hadn’t washed it in several days. He sneered at the three men facing him and nodded. “Yeah, we can do that, but what do we get in return?”
The lead man sneered. “You and your riffraff have been paid very well for what we’ve asked you to do. We need you to draw the authorities away from the water area and keep them busy while we do what we have to do. How you do it, we do not care.”
“What do you have to do?” Lyle asked.
“That is none of your business,” the lead man told him. “All you need to know is what we require you to do.”
Lyle shrugged. “That’s fine, I don’t mind raising hell. In fact, me and my boys love to raise hell.”
The leader sneered. “Yes I’m sure you do. We need a day to get things in place, then we’ll need five days to finish what we started. You need to keep up the distractions for the next six days.”
“What the fuck are we supposed to do for six days?” Lyle scoffed. “I thought this would be a one or maybe two day job, not close to a fucking week.”
The leader of the other men stepped forward. “You made a deal and accepted our money, you will do the job you contracted for or we will kill you, do you understand?” he growled.
Lyle laughed out loud. “You are only three men, we are over twenty, how do you expect to get us all before we kill you?”
