Hell Fire Riders MC: The Complete MC Series, page 41
Phoebe flushed. “Yeah and this Michael guy needs some social skills….My name is Phoebe Scott and this is Willie Parks.”
“How did you happen to be in the back of Michael’s truck when these men came around?” Gage asked Willow.
Willow shook her head and began to sign.
“What’s wrong with her?” Judson asked.
Phoebe looked away from Willow and stared at the men. “There’s nothing wrong with her. She’s fine, she just doesn’t speak.”
“Can she hear?” Judson asked.
Phoebe nodded as she turned back to Willow. “Yeah, she can hear but she doesn’t speak.”
“Why not?” he asked.
Phoebe shook her head. “No one knows. But she’s learned her own version of sign language and can communicate.”
“What did she tell you before?” Gage asked.
Phoebe glanced over at Willow.
Willow shook her head slightly but Gage caught the motion. He was about to say something when Michael came back in the room. He carried something in his hands.
Everyone watched as he carried it over to the table and set it down carefully. He turned and glared at Willow. Then he turned to Phoebe. Pointing a finger at her he demanded, “What the fuck was she doing in the back of my truck and what the hell did whoever put this thing on my truck want?”
Phoebe shrugged and motioning toward the thing, Michael had brought back with him she offered, “You should probably be thankful she was there. That thing looks real enough to have killed the three of you and without her warning, you would never have known about it.” With that, she grabbed Willow’s hand to get the hell out of there.
Unfortunately, they didn’t make it as Gage grabbed a hold of Willow and Michael slammed the door shut in Phoebe’s face. “You two aren’t going anywhere until we get some answers.” He growled.
Willow began to struggle the moment Gage wrapped his arms around her waist. Screams echoed in her head but her voice wouldn’t break the silence that held her for the last sixteen years. She stomped down on his bare foot and Gage swore but he held on to her.
Phoebe turned and when she saw them struggling, she rushed over to her friend. “Please don’t hurt her,” she begged.
“Hurt her?” Gage scoffed. “What about me? Tell her to stop stepping on my feet and I’ll let her go. We aren’t going to hurt either of you.”
Willow stopped struggling although her breathing was rapid and her heart was pounding in her chest. For a moment, Gage’s arms tightened around her but then he let her go. She quickly moved away from him and grabbing Phoebe’s arms, she turned to face him. Backing away slowly, she didn’t stop until her back hit the wall.
Michael watched the women for a moment then looked over at the two other men. Running his fingers through his hair, he told them, “Why don’t you guys put your pants on and we can all sit down and try to figure this out.”
Gage and Judson turned away and grabbed their clothes.
Once they were partially dressed, Michael turned to Phoebe and Willow, motioning them toward the table he said, “Please sit down, so we can get a grip on what happened tonight.”
Phoebe turned to Willow and looked into her eyes. “Come on, let’s do this and get it over with. Maybe we can salvage at least part of the night anyway.”
Willow kept a tight grip on her friend’s hand as they walked over to the table. Pulling out a chair, she sat down keeping her eyes on all three men.
Michael and Gage sat down opposite while Judson sat on the arm of the sofa.
Willow started when she felt something cold and wet nudge her arm. Looking down, she saw the head of a very large dog under the table. Reaching down, she rubbed the dog behind the ears, then raised her head to view the three men.
“Now,” Michael began. “Can your friend tell us why she was in the back of the truck when the three men approached it and what she saw after that?”
Willow shook her head.
Phoebe grabbed her hands and turned to face her. “Honey, they need to know what you saw and heard.” Glancing briefly at the three men she turned back to Willow. “I don’t think they want to hurt us, they just need to know about the other men.”
Willow’s eyes got big as she remembered her past. She shook her head and began to sign.
Phoebe groaned and after a few minutes, she looked toward Michael. “All she’ll say is that she was in the back of the truck when three other men approached it, one stood guard while another one slid under the truck and then she heard sounds like banging and then after a while, they left. She didn’t see what the third man was doing. She stayed down until enough time passed then looked around. She came and got me and we knocked on your door.”
Michael glanced over at Gage and Judson then turned back to Phoebe. “Did she see or hear anything else?”
Phoebe frowned then seemed to remember something. “She said earlier, they spoke another language and she saw some sort of tattoo on one of the men.” She gazed at Willow and shrugged. “At least I think that’s what she said earlier. She was rather upset while she was pounding on the door.”
“Does she remember what the tattoo looks like?” Gage asked. “Maybe we could use that image to figure out who left us a present tonight.”
Willow pushed her chair back and shook her head. She grew very pale and her whole body shook.
Phoebe took a deep breath and exhaled. “I don’t think that will work.” Shaking her head, she studied the three men facing her. “There is something about Willow you should know. In the sixteen years I’ve known her, she hasn’t spoken a single word. The doctors say there isn’t a reason for her silence other than the one in her head. She can hear and understand the spoken word just fine but she doesn’t speak.” She reached out a hand toward Willow and when Willow grabbed it, Phoebe pulled her back down to the chair. “Gentlemen, something out there scared her. She’s given you all the information she can, so I think it’s time for us to say goodbye and be on our way.” Phoebe stood and when Willow got to her feet, they turned to leave the room.
All three men got to their feet.
“Ladies, I’m afraid it isn’t that easy,” Michael informed them.
“Why isn’t it going to be that easy?” Phoebe asked.
“Because if whoever placed this bomb is who I think it is, you’re lives are now in danger as well as ours,” Michael explained. “If they know where we are, they also have been watching this place and would have seen you warn us. You are now witnesses that they can’t allow to get away. That’s how they’ve kept in the shadows for so long. I’m afraid we can’t let you go at the moment, not until I know you’re lives are no longer in danger.”
“But that’s ridicules!” Phoebe sputtered.
“We were very careful traveling here.” Gage pointed out. “We didn’t see anyone following us but somebody obviously did or they never would have been able to place a bomb under Michael’s truck. We know of one threat we’re facing but we need confirmation of who it is before we can take any action.”
“What kind of confirmation?” Phoebe asked.
“Was there anything out of the ordinary about these three men?” Judson asked. “Anything she can tell us that might identify them?”
Phoebe turned to Willow and asked, “What can you remember about the tattoo you said they had?”
Willow began shaking her head then she signed something but wouldn’t look at anyone.
Phoebe grabbed her hand with one hand and lifted Willow’s chin with the other. “I know you’re scared right now, but they need to know. Please tell them what you saw tonight. They only want to help.”
Judson reached out and grabbed the motel pad and pen from the table next to the sofa, passing it over to Gage. Gage put it on the table in front of him and pushed it over to Willow. “Can you draw the image for us?”
Willow raised her head and stared at him for a moment then she picked up the pen and began drawing the image that haunted her dreams for most of her life. When she was done, she pushed the paper back over to Gage.
Gage stared down at the paper and gasped out loud. He shoved the paper over to Michael.
Michael studied it and swore as his face paled. “Son of a bitch, they found me. After all this time, they fuckin found me again.”
Chapter Three
Phoebe gasped. “You guys know this symbol?”
Michael ran his fingers down his face. “Yeah, we know this symbol.” Getting to his feet, he began to pace. After a moment or so, he turned to Willow. Slamming his hands down on the table he asked her harshly, “Are you sure this is the symbol you saw?”
She nodded.
“Where was this symbol?” he asked. “Where did you see it on his body?”
Willow lifted her hand from her lap and tapped the inside of his left wrist.
Michael groaned and turned tormented eyes to Gage. “I can’t do this again! I can’t go through this hell again.”
Gage got to his feet and grabbed Michael by the shoulders. “You have to. We have to face this together. You won’t be alone in this. Judson and I are here and we will stand with you.”
Michael shook his head. “Those fuckers took everything I care about and left me nothing but heartache. You can’t make this right again.”
“I’m not saying we can,” Gage insisted. “I’m saying we’ll stand beside you to make right the wrong this POS organization is planning on doing next. We know they’ve been here at least five years, maybe more—”
Willow grabbed Gage’s wrist and when he turned to her, she nodded then flashed all her fingers twice. Pausing she flashed them again.
Gage frowned and looked toward Phoebe. “What is she trying to tell us?”
Phoebe faced Willow. “What was that?”
Willow faced her friend and began to sign.
When she finished, Phoebe gasped and turned toward Michael and Gage. “She said the Vipers have been here for close to twenty years, not five years.”
Gage stared at the girl. “How does she know that?” he asked.
“Never mind that,” Michael growled. “How does she know their name? We never told her the name of the group.”
They all stared at Willow.
She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head.
Phoebe sighed. “I’m sorry guys, she isn’t going to say anything else.”
“Dammit!” Michael kicked the table.
Phoebe swung her gaze over to him. “And that right there is why.” Her eyes narrowed at him.
A few hours later, Gage was awakened from his sleep by someone sobbing. He laid in the bed next to Michael and listened to the sounds for a moment and it broke his heart. Slowly turning his head, he noticed first that the sky was getting light. In the light, he could see the other occupants in the room. Michael was still sleeping. As were Phoebe and Judson. When he gazed at Willow, he could see her moving almost as if she were caught up in a nightmare of sorts.
Gage got up and moved over to her side of the bed. Earlier, she and Phoebe had taken Michael’s bed while Michael moved over to his bed. They had decided to get a few more hours sleep, then head out. Phoebe and Willow were going with them despite their objections, until Michael could get the information he needed from Willow.
As Gage knelt down beside the bed, he reached out to shake Willow’s shoulder.
Her eyes opened almost immediately and she wiped away her tears.
When he reached out his hand to help her up, she allowed it.
They moved over to the table and sat down together. Gage scratched his head. Looking over at her he whispered, “I wish I knew your secrets.”
Willow cocked her head and shrugged as if to ask him why.
Gage smiled. “I have a feeling you hold the key to us figuring out this little mystery.” He leaned forward a bit and stared at her for a moment. “How do you know this group have been here for so long? You said twenty years, how do you know that? How the hell do you know about the Vipers? We didn’t even know about them until six years ago.”
Willow shrugged but her hands were still, laying in her lap. They both heard the sounds of doggy feet walking around the far side of the bed Michael slept in. They watched as Snickerdoodles peeked around the edge of the bed then moved over to where Willow sat. He came over to her and sat down beside her, laying his head in her lap.
Willow smiled faintly, raising one hand to wipe the tears from her cheeks and the other hand went to rub Snicker’s ears. The dog groaned and crept a little closer to Willow for more attention. When she seemed to allow it, Snicker moved even closer, he lifted his paws to her lap and laid his head on her shoulder. Willow hugged him close and let her fingers run through the dog’s fur. “The Vipers killed my parents, my brother, my sister and my grandmother, eighteen years ago,” she whispered harshly. Her voice was weak and her words were breathy and broken but she made her meaning clear. “Then two years later, they found us again and murdered my grandfather and my two uncles along with some of his men.”
Gage was stunned when she began speaking. He frowned. “I thought you couldn’t speak.”
Willow shook her head. “I could always speak but chose not to. The last thing my grandpa ever said to me was to be quiet and not make a sound or they would find me.”
“And now that has changed?”
She hesitated then said, “When I was sleeping, my dreams took me back to the day my grandpa and uncles died. Then in my dreams, I heard my grandpa say it was time for me to tell you what happened to him and why. I swear, I could hear his voice as plain as day. He told me the truth had to be told. He said it was time to break the silence.” Willow nodded. “You and your friends said you were going to stop the Vipers. I want them to pay for what they did to my family.”
“So do I little girl,” Michael said softly. “So do I.” He sat up and turned to face them. “They took my family away from me too.” He got up and joined them at the table. When he passed Judson, he slapped the other man on the foot and grabbed Phoebe’s foot in passing. Then he sat down across from Willow. “I need to know something. How do you know this is the same group that killed your family?”
Judson and Phoebe got up and joined them silently at the table.
Willow gazed at their faces as they sat there and she swallowed hard. Her throat tightened up on her and she didn’t want to bring the bad memories to the front of her mind. She didn’t want to remember that terrible day. She hugged the dog closer to her and her tears dampened his fur. Then her words came in a husky whisper, “When I was six, my grandfather picked me up from school one day shortly after noon. He looked like he’d been in a fight and the school didn’t want to let me go with him but he didn’t listen to them. He just grabbed me and left. He put me on the back of his bike and we drove off. He’d never done that before. My Mom wouldn’t let me ride on the bike with him or my dad. She always said a little girl had no business on a bike that big but that day, I rode with my grandpa. We stopped a few hours later. We met up with my uncles Pony and Declan and maybe ten or twelve of my grandpa’s men. Pony and Declan looked like they’d been in a fight too, they had blood all over their clothes and they had been crying. Grandpa sat me down and told me I had to be brave and that I couldn’t cry. When I asked him, why he told me my Mom, Dad, my grandma and little brother and sister were gone. That morning a deal went bad and some bad people caught them unaware. They wanted to kill everyone that day and the people there around me were the only ones that escaped. He told me we had to go into hiding until they could track down the people responsible and take them out for what they did. He looked me in the eyes and told me the Vipers would rue the day they went after his family. Then he drew that tattoo and had me memorize it. He told me that one day, he would get revenge for what they’d done.”
“What happened then?” Michael asked.
“Two years later, they found us again. We were trapped in a cabin we had been living in and took us by surprise. When the shooting started, my grandpa pushed me into a hidey hole and told me to stay put. I was to be quiet and never say a word. When the shooting stopped, I peeked out and saw these men standing there with guns in their hands. I couldn’t even breathe I was so scared. After they left, I went out and saw my grandpa and uncles. They were all dead. There was blood everywhere. I went back to my hole and stayed there for days. The police came and went. They took my grandpa and my uncles away but I didn’t move. A day or so later, the bad men came back. They seemed to be looking for something but they didn’t find it. Then they set fire to the cabin. I was afraid to move but it got so hot in there, I sneaked out and got away. I hid in the woods for three more days before a game warden found me and turned me over to the police.”
“Is that how you ended up in foster care?” Phoebe asked.
Willow nodded. “Everyone asked me questions but I didn’t answer them. I think the doctor said I was in shock. They didn’t know I was connected to the fire or the shooting that took place a few days before. They didn’t know anything about me. They didn’t even know my name.”
“Where did all this go down?” Gage frowned as he stared at her.
“A small town of Marlborough, Massachusetts.” Willow shrugged. “We moved there after we left Lowell, two years before.”
“How old were you at the time?” Michael asked.
“I was eight when they killed my grandpa.”
“We met when we were nine,” Phoebe explained to the men. “We were living in Boston at the time and we both needed a friend. We found a way to communicate with each other and no matter where we went, we always ended up together again.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Judson frowned.
“That means…” Phoebe shook her head. “In some foster care places, you don’t stay in one place long enough to make friends.”
“Especially if the powers that be end up deeming you special needs.” Willow growled.
