Hell Fire Riders MC: The Complete MC Series, page 42
“How so?” Gage frowned.
Phoebe reached out to take Willow’s hand. “The social workers labeled her special needs because she didn’t speak. There was nothing wrong with her but because she wouldn’t talk, they put her in special classes at school and they decided she needed specialized care.”
Willow rolled her eyes. “They got so mad when I would run away and find Phoebe, time after time.”
“The last time they separated us, they put her in juvenile hall.” Phoebe laughed. “She caused a riot at the school I was attending at the time. She had escaped Detention and came looking for me again. We were fourteen when that happened.”
Willow smiled. “A year later, I escaped and found her again. She was in a new foster home and it wasn’t a good one, so we went on the run. We managed to get by until we were eighteen and could be free of social services. We’ve been together ever since.”
“What do you girls do anyway?” Judson asked.
“Up until a week ago, we were working in a diner off the interstate near Chicago.” Phoebe replied.
“What happened a week ago?” Michael sounded curious.
Willow stared at Phoebe then turned to Michael. “I had to return to Marlborough and get something I buried when I was eight.”
He frowned. “What was so important that you gave up your job for?”
Willow got up and went outside for a moment, when she returned she pushed a small book at them. The book was very old. They could see that through the plastic bag that covered it. The symbol on the cover was faded and the tops and sides of the pages were yellowed with age.
Michael frowned and picked up the small book. When he saw the symbol etched on the cover, he flashed his eyes back to Willow. “Where the hell did you get this?”
The emblem on the cover of the old book was the same as the emblem of the Bleu Vipers. A dark blue triangle with a hooded Reaper inside and words written in Arabic below the bottom rail.
“The day my grandfather was killed, several men entered the cabin after the shooting stopped. They came in to retrieve one of their own. As they dragged his body outside, this book fell out of his pocket. When I went to check on my family, I picked the book up and took it with me when I went back in to my hiding spot. I didn’t know what it was or what it meant. I still had a hold of it days later when they came back and started the fire. I carried it out of the cabin with me. I buried it before the game warden found me and after I left the area, I forgot it for a long time. I finally remembered it a week ago. I had a dream about that day and I knew I had to go back for it.” She stared at the book and shrugged. “I don’t know what it is or what it means to them but my guess is that they want it back.”
Michael opened the plastic bag and took the book out. Carefully thumbing through the pages, he saw several pages of Arabic writing. Some of the words he knew and he knew what the pages meant but toward the back of the book, he saw more recent writing. Some of the pages even had dates written on them and the dates were from twenty to twenty five years ago. One page had a list of names on it. Before he could get into figuring out what it all meant he got to his feet. “If this is what I think it is yeah, they would want this back. I’m surprised they didn’t track you down for it.”
Willow shook her head. “No one knew who I was. I didn’t tell them my name and when I entered the foster care system, they gave me a new name. They called me Sarah Dunn for the longest time.”
“Why does Phoebe call you Willie?” Gage asked.
Willow shook her head and laughed. “She calls me Willie because that’s who she thinks I am.”
“Well, if Willie isn’t your name, what is?” Phoebe demanded.
“My real name is Willow Connors. Although after we moved to Marlborough, grandpa changed the Connors to Parks, just in case the Vipers were still looking for him.”
Judson gasped. “I know that name,” he whispered. “Jonah Connors AKA Dogwood of the Devil’s Advocate MC were running guns twenty years ago. The police and ATF always figured the shootout in Lowell eighteen years ago was due to a gun deal gone wrong. Twenty one people died that day.”
Willow shrugged. “It could have been. From what little I remember as a six year old kid was my grandfather and Dad moving a truckload of crates around the property. They would store the crates underground for as long as they were there.”
Judson frowned. “I don’t think AFT ever found any guns or storage areas on the property at the time.”
“No one would know where to look.” Willow grinned. “My grandpa was a wise old man. He had some very clever hiding places and unless you knew where to look, you’d never find them.”
“Your grandfather was likely breaking the law at the time.” Gage growled. “I don’t know if I would be proud of that or not.”
Willow sneered. “I was a six year old kid at the time, what the hell did I know of laws or breaking them? All I knew was that my family was there and we loved each other. That’s all that mattered to me.”
“I hate to interrupt this conversation but what are we going to do about the book?” Judson asked. “If this was something they came back to a crime scene to find it must hold something they didn’t want the rest of the world to know, don’t you think?”
Michael nodded. “That’s exactly what I think.” He looked around. “The only problem is who can we trust to tell us what this is? If we turn it over to Kenn, it might just disappear.”
Judson nodded.
Gage stared at the book for a moment. “I think I may know of someone who could help us. But I think we should turn over only a copy of what’s in the book. We should keep the original.”
“Who would you turn this over too?” Michael asked.
“I’d rather not say at the moment.” Gage shrugged. “But I will tell you this, I trust them with my life.”
Michael stared at his brother in law for a moment then nodded. “I can live with that. How soon can you contact this person?”
“As soon as I can copy the book,” Gage answered.
Michael got to his feet. “Do it.” Looking over at Phoebe and Willow he said, “Ladies, let’s get your things, you are coming with us.”
Before Willow or Phoebe could object, Michael had them both on their feet and he and Judson were escorting them to their car.
An hour after Judson sent a copy of the book to Stone; he got a reply, though none of them discussed it yet. They had transferred the girl’s suitcases to Michael’s truck and had grabbed breakfast then were just about ready to get back on the road when a knock sounded on the door.
Michael glanced at Gage and Judson then reached behind him for his gun.
Gage pushed both women down on the floor behind one of the beds and produced his own weapon.
Judson slipped behind the door with his weapon ready as well.
Michael stepped up and peeped through the peephole. He half turned and frowned. “Who is it?” he called out softly.
“Judson, it’s me Ben Malloy. Kenn sent me to escort you guys in.” Came the gravelly voice from the other side of the door.
Gage who’d been standing over the women felt Willow move. When he looked down at her, he saw the fear and pain in her eyes as she stared at him in absolute terror. He frowned but before Michael could open the door to the room, he pushed both women into the bathroom and partially closed the door.
Michael frowned at him but Gage shook his head and motioned for him to open the door. All three men watched as the tall grey haired man walked into the room.
Gage stared at him for a moment, taking in his appearance.
Ben was tall and his once dark hair was turning grey. His jaw was clean shaven. He wore slacks and a jacket his shirt was dark but not one you’d wear with a suit. He could see a scar on Ben’s cheek of an old wound that healed long ago and he could also see a fading tattoo on his left hand.
Ben looked around the room at the three men. “Is this everyone?” he asked.
“Why are you here again?” Judson asked ignoring the question. “I told Kenn we’d be in DC later this afternoon.”
Ben nodded. “I know I was there in his office when you called this morning. He wanted someone to escort you in. Someone to watch your back in case of another attack.” He shrugged. “I flew in by copter, so we could ride back together.”
Gage looked at Michael and gave him a signal.
Michael turned to Ben. “That won’t be necessary. I know my way back and there isn’t room in the truck. Just tell Kenn I’ll call when we get there.”
Ben hesitated then said, “Kenn sent me to watch your back. I’m just trying to do my job here, man.”
“I know and I appreciate it. I’ll make sure Kenn knows how it went down,” Michael assured him.
Ben looked conflicted for a moment then nodded. “Ok man, but you’re making a mistake. I could help you if you let me.”
“Appreciate it, we really do but I have things to do between here and DC.” Michael shrugged.
Ben nodded. “Ok, I guess I’ll see you later then.” He looked around the room taking in everything, then made his way to the door.
Once it was closed, Gage went to the window and watched as he walked away. When Ben got to the curb, Gage noticed he got into a car with three other men. When the car pulled away, he watched until the vehicle turned the corner.
“What the hell was that all about?” Michael demanded.
Gage glared at him for a moment. “There was something about him that had Willow freaking out. I think we should find out what that was before we just accept what he says, don’t you?” Gage went to the door of the bathroom and pushed open the door. He found Phoebe and Willow huddled in the corner. Phoebe’s arm was around Willow’s shoulder and Willow was crying. Gage went over to her and squatted down beside her. Grabbing her chin, he tried to raise her face but she flinched away from him.
Curling into Phoebe’s embrace, she wouldn’t look at anyone.
“What the fuck happened to her?” Gage growled.
Phoebe gazed at him with tears in her eyes. “I don’t know. She heard that man’s voice and she went somewhere in her mind that wasn’t good for her. We were watching from the crack in the door and when she saw him, she went pale and crawled into the corner then started shaking. The only thing is—I think she lost her voice again. She tried to say something a couple of times but she couldn’t get any sound to come out. Something about him terrified her so bad, she can’t speak.”
Gage ran his fingers through his hair and stared at Willow. “Damn,” he swore quietly.
Chapter Four
Gage helped Willow to her feet and brought her out into the main room. He led her over to the table and sat her down.
She gripped Phoebe’s hand all the way and when she sat down, she pulled Phoebe down too.
Gage knelt in front of Willow and carefully brushed her hair away from her face. “Willow, I know you’re afraid of something, but you don’t have to be. I can and will protect you. Phoebe is here as well as Michael and Judson. Nobody here will hurt you.”
Willow raised her eyes to his and stared at his face. She wanted to believe him. She began to reach out for him but she couldn’t quite reach him. Instead, Gage grabbed her hand and raised it to his lips.
When his lips touched her skin, she felt safe. It began as a tingle from the spot his lips touched her fingers and spread up her arm and to her chest. The coldness in her chest when she heard his voice began to thaw.
“Sweetie, what happened just now?” Phoebe asked. “Did you know that man?”
Willow opened her mouth to try to speak but no words came out. She grew frustrated, pounded her hands on the table and tried to speak again. Her words didn’t come. She tried again, but still nothing. Then she saw the pen and paper on the table and grabbed it. When she finished, she shoved the paper at Gage and pointed to the words she’d written.
He was there the day my grandpa was killed. Scar on right cheek. Tattoo on his left hand, an eight sided star. He dragged the killed Viper out of the cabin that day. He also came back the day they set fire to the cabin. I saw him both days.
Gage read the words then handed the paper to Michael and Judson. Judson read it over Michael’s shoulder and swore.
Michael read her damming words and ran his hands over his head. Kneeling beside Gage, he turned her face to Willow. “Are you absolutely sure it was the same guy? Ben Malloy is a member of Homeland Security. He works with Judson.”
Willow nodded her head slowly. Then she tapped the paper in his hand. She mouthed the words, “He was there. I saw him, I heard his voice.”
Michael turned his head and glared at Gage for a moment. “We are in trouble man. I need to talk to Kenn.”
Gage nodded. “I need to update Stone on this. If the Vipers are this deep in our government, the whole nation is in trouble. We may not be able to stop what’s coming.” He grabbed his phone and dialed Stone’s number. He moved away from everyone else when Stone picked up the call. “We got problems here man.”
“I know,” Stone told him. “I’m glad you called back. We were able to verify your girl’s account of the murder of her family eighteen years ago. She was telling the truth about that.”
“Yeah, I know,” Gage replied. “But that’s not why I called.”
“Then why did you call?” Stone asked. “We haven’t had time to get into the book stuff yet.”
“We just got a visit from someone that works in Judson’s office,” Gage explained. “Willow freaked out. The man was there the day they murdered her family. He was there as a Viper.”
“Shit,” Stone swore. “Is she sure?”
“Hey man, just his voice threw her so far into the past, she couldn’t speak.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“The day her grandfather died, he knew the Vipers had found him. They had some kind of a deal going and someone screwed it up. The Vipers murdered her family, all except her grandpa and two of her uncles, when she was six. Grandpa took her and went into hiding. They found them two years later. She was eight years old and her grandpa did what he could to keep her safe. He hid her away and told her not to say a word. He didn’t want her to die, so he made her promise to be quiet. She saw the gun fight, she witnessed her grandfather and two uncles and several members of their MC die under a hail of bullets. She stayed hidden for days until the fire they set forced her to leave her hiding place. She ran for the woods behind the cabin expecting to get shot in the back. Her fear was so great, she never said another word until yesterday. But today when she heard Ben Malloy’s voice, she remembered her fear. She said he was there at the cabin that day. She knew he had a scar on his cheek and a tattoo on his left hand. It was a tattoo of an eight sided star.” He paused then added, “Boss, she never saw him today. She described him without looking at his face.”
“Is she going to be okay?” Stone asked after a moment of silence.
“I don’t know man,” Gage admitted. “She hasn’t spoken yet.”
“Where are you headed now?”
“Michael seems to think we should head to DC. He’s talking to his boss right now.”
“Are you taking the girls with you?”
“Yeah, we are,” Gage answered. “I’m not leaving her behind.”
“I’ll have Trudy check out Ben Malloy and see what she can find on him. I’ll be in touch in a couple of hours. If something happens before then, let us know. I’m calling Shay about this. I’ll let you know what he says.”
“Do it quick then, we’re heading out on the road soon.”
“I will,” Stone said and hung up the phone.
Gage turned to see Michael and Judson frowning at him. “What’s the matter?”
“I just spoke to Kenn,” Michael informed him. “He swears he never sent Ben to intercept us.”
Gage swore under his breath. “I saw Ben get into a car with three other men and drive away.”
“So where do we go from here?” Judson asked. “I have serious doubts we’ll make it to DC.”
“Stone is going to call in Shay and update him,” Gage informed them.
Michael whipped his head around to glare at his brother in law. “Who the hell is this Shay character anyway? You’ve mentioned him before and I don’t know him.”
Gage shrugged. “His name is Shay Montross. Stone knew him years ago and he’s a bigwig with the government. Stone trusts him for some reason and I think we should too. He helped us out when we were cleaning up the first mess with these pricks. He’s got an agenda and Stone is helping him set up a network to watch for terrorism here.” He shrugged again. “I’ve never met the man, but I trust Stone.”
“So we can’t take the direct route to DC but we still need to go there,” Judson surmised. “Our intel says there’s something brewing there and we have to figure out what it is.”
Gage scoffed. “I know what it is and its nothing good.”
Michael and Judson turned toward him.
Michael barked, “What is going to happen? What are the Vipers going to do?”
“Assassinate our President and take out our government.”
“What the fuck?” Michael exclaimed. “How the hell are they going to do that?”
“Trudy is working on the details as we speak,” Gage assured them.
“Who the hell is Trudy?” Judson growled.
“Don’t ask and I won’t have to lie to you,” was all Gage would say.
“How do you know all this?” Michael finally asked.
“Let’s get on the road,” Gage suggested, avoiding his question.
Michael ran his fingers through his hair. “I think we should spilt up.” He glanced over at the women then back to Gage and Judson. “Gage, take your bike and Willow, Judson can take Phoebe’s car and I’ll take Phoebe with me. If we all take a different route, one of us should make it. Right now, they are looking for three men traveling together. Besides, they can’t follow all of us.”
Gage mulled the idea over. “We shouldn’t go to your house in the city. Do you have a safe house that only you know about? If Malloy is part of the Vipers then we can’t trust just anyone. We have to keep a low profile until we can get backup.” He glanced at Michael and Judson. “You guys packing?”
