Page 11

It was dark, and the guys had taken me out to see the former clubhouse of the Black Outlaws. With the moon out and our flashlights, we could see it reasonably well. It was out on a piece of land with the nearest neighbors at least a mile away, maybe a little more. All that remained of what appeared to be a reasonably sized building were burned timbers and a partially collapsed brick wall. Since it had happened a few months ago, there were no bodies, but there was an eerie feeling in the air.

I didn’t believe in ghosts like the apparitions many believed in, but I did believe in spirits. They could wander the world trying to connect with living beings. Sometimes, it might be because they had unfinished business or something to communicate. Others were too scared to pass on to the next phase. Was there an afterlife? I liked to think there was.

I didn’t share those thoughts with Heath and Beau. I didn’t want them to tease me. I’d had others do it in the past. Usually, I didn’t mind, but there was something in me that didn’t want these men to think I was weird.

Dad encouraged me to listen to what my gut told me. He said that some people in our family were born with extra senses, which allowed them to perceive things others couldn’t. He was proud that I seemed to have inherited it. He was very intuitive about things, but not in the way I was. Kensy had been upset she didn’t have those abilities.

We were slowly picking our way through the ruins. Remnants of so many lives were scattered all around. Some were severely burned, while others were barely scorched. It was sad, although knowing what Beau and Heath had told me about the Black Outlaws this afternoon, I wasn’t sorry they were dead.

“How many people were in this fire as opposed to those killed in the explosion?” I asked.

“Well, that’s hard to say. If you discounted Thacker’s people and only counted Outlaws, I think there were ten at the house. There were half a dozen more patched members and a couple of prospects here. They had more, but they were taken care of in two earlier incidents,” Beau told me.

“What happened in the earlier incidents? Or is that something you can’t tell me?” I asked.

I saw them exchange looks. Beau, again, was the one to answer. “You know the Pagan Souls from Cherokee were involved with this. That’s because the Outlaws targeted one of theirs. See, Mace claimed a woman his club was helping. Someone had taken her, and she escaped. Anyway, they didn’t know for sure who had kidnapped her. Later on, they were at a charity poker run with a bunch of our other MC friends. Three Outlaws tried to nab her. Jessamy was with a prospect at the time, and the Outlaws thought he was no threat. They were caught by the Pagans and a few others and taken to be questioned. Suffice it to say, they didn’t walk away. Later, more Outlaws tried again. Three more were killed when they tried to snatch her from a clinic in Cherokee owned by the club.”

“They were very stupid, weren’t they? Who would keep coming after someone when they killed six of your people? I assume no one on your side was killed?”

“No one was killed, but Iceman, from another club, was shot at the clinic. He’s well on his way to fully recovered,” Beau assured me.

I heard Heath snicker.

“What’s so funny?” I asked.

“Oh, I was thinking of Iceman and how he’s recovering. He’s raring to go, and it’s all due to his physical therapist. She’s got him back on his feet and pulling out all his moves for her. Seems he’s got a thing for her,” Heath admitted.

“Does she have a thing for him?” I asked.

“Some say she does. I haven’t seen them together, so I don’t know. But the consensus with his club is that he’s gone and fallen for her, so it’s up to him to see if he can win her heart. Bets are being made that another Warrior has been taken off the single-and-available list,” he replied.

“Is that a bad thing? Do your friends often bet on things like that?” I admit that I was curious about clubs and how they worked, especially ones that weren’t like the Outlaws. I was just as curious about the Dark Patriots.

“It’s not bad. Most bikers we’re friends with want to be settled and have families. As for the betting thing, yeah, they do, now that I think of it,” Heath admitted.

“And do you guys ever get in on those bets?” I asked next. I glanced at Beau. He was quiet.

Heath’s mouth twisted into what I thought was a smirk. “We have been known to do it.”

As we talked, we’d been walking around. I was using my boot to shift things out of the way. When something caught my eye, I was about to ask them to tell me more about their friends. I hunkered down to give it a closer look. Seeing that my eyes hadn’t played tricks on me, I picked it up. I held it so they could see it. We were all wearing gloves in case we found something useful. None of us wanted to contaminate what evidence could be gotten off anything.

“Were there families living here? How many of the Outlaws had families? Kids?” The thought that children had died in the fire made me sick to my stomach.

“Keeley, I know what you’re thinking, but don’t. There were no women or children in the building when it burned. It was ensured only the men were here,” Beau assured me.

“But did they have kids?” I asked again.

“Not that I’m aware, but I can ask,” he said.

I watched him take out his phone and tap away. I had no idea whom he had contacted, but I wanted to know the answer. If no children were in this club, why was there a baby doll in the remains? While we waited, we shifted more things around. About ten feet from where I found the doll, a remnant of a child’s blanket was found. My heart was beating faster while my stomach churned harder. I was frantically shifting burned remains around. Some were too heavy, but a lot were movable. The guys were helping me.

We’d made it around most of the burned building when Beau’s phone chimed. We stopped so he could read what it said. He scanned it and then glanced at me.

“According to my source, none of the Black Outlaws had kids. A couple had women, though whether they were old ladies or not, he didn’t know. As for extended family that might come and visit with kids, it’s possible.”

“You said the Black Outlaws and that Thacker guy trafficked people. Did their trafficking activities include kids?” I asked with dread.

Beau moved off. He was staring into the darkness. “Not that we know of, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t. Fuck, please tell me we didn’t just discover they were doing more than selling women and young teens. If they were trafficking younger kids, I’m gonna puke. How the fuck did we miss that?” he muttered.

I went over to him and rubbed his back. He was stiff as a board. “Beau, it might not be that you did. This could belong to someone who visited them. Can we send it off to see if anything can be found on it? DNA? Prints? I think if the children these belong to are missing, there are people searching for them. Don’t jump to conclusions.”

He swung around to face me. “You’re thinking the same fucking thing, and so is Heath. Jesus Christ, I pray to God we’re wrong. To answer your question, we can send it to be analyzed. If there’s a way to trace it back to someone, then Smoke, Everly, and the others will find it. They can follow a grain of rice in a snowstorm.”

I smiled at his example. “Rice in a snowstorm?”

He gave me a tiny smile. “Yeah, don’t make fun of me. It was all that came to mind, but it’s true. They’re incredible.”

“It was better than mine. They could find a specific turd in a shithouse,” Heath added.

This broke the tension and got us laughing. I playfully shoved him as I said, “You’re sick. I’ll take rice and snow over turds any day.”

“You loved it,” he teased back.

We spent a little longer walking around, and then they said we should head out to the other place if we were going tonight. I nodded. We placed the two items in separate bags so they could be sent off. Back in the SUV, we headed to a remote spot halfway between Spartanburg and Greenville.

It was late, so there wasn’t a ton of traffic on any of the roads we took. When we drove through the grass after pulling off the dirt road, I realized that this was a perfect spot for a secret hiding place. The guys had told me that it was where the Outlaws had kept their products, and they weren’t only talking about people. I’d discovered the bastards and their associates dealt in drugs, guns, extortion, and more. The grass we were driving on was an overgrown dirt lane. Just like when we went to their prior compound, there wasn’t much left of the house that had been here just over two months ago. Parking nearby, we walked up to the site. There were signs of burning, but much less. I knew they had blown this one up. I went to start walking the remains, but Beau stopped me.

“Watch your step. This is more dangerous. There were tunnels and open rooms underneath the house. That’s where they kept people in cells. When the Pagans destroyed this, they ensured no one else would come along and use them for the same purpose. Not unless they put a lot of work into reopening and shoring them up so they wouldn’t collapse. I don’t want you to fall into anything. Stick close to us and let Heath and I take the lead.”

“Beau, I’ll be careful. I work in mountain rescue, remember? Being in dangerous spots or falling through isn’t new to me.”

“I don’t care if it is or not. Stay behind us,” he said gruffly.

I didn’t want to push him because I knew from the drive that he was still thinking about those children’s things we found and their implications. Hell, so was I.

“I’ll follow you,” I promised.

We started at one end and slowly worked our way across. There were fewer signs of lives being spent here, so we shifted debris around, looking for clues like we found at the clubhouse. We didn’t find any. We were about to call it a night when there was a rumbling sound, and then Heath dropped out of sight. He gave a startled curse when he did. I rushed toward the hole he’d fallen through, but Beau threw out his arm to hold me back. I subsided for the moment.

“Heath, are you okay?” Beau shouted down the dark hole.

“Son of a bitch, this sucks,” we heard Heath muttering. Our sighs of relief were short-lived when he kept talking. “I’m alive, but I don’t think I’m climbing out of here.”

“Why is that?” I asked.

“Because I think I just broke my goddamn leg. Fuck!”

“Shit! Alright, let me think. Just hang tight,” Beau told him.

“Do you have any rope and a first aid kit in the SUV?” I asked.

“I think we do. It might be hard for him to get himself situated to be pulled up.”

“Not if you lower me down. I can assess him, and if he needs first aid, give it to him, then secure him so you can pull him up.”

“I’m not sending you down there! The rest could cave in on you. We don’t know how stable it is,” Beau argued.

“Beau, stop and think. I do this all the time. For God’s sake, I do it off the sides of mountains and hang from a helicopter. This is hardly more dangerous. I’ve already spotted a tree we can use to belay the rope so you can control my descent without taking all the weight on yourself. Are we going to stand here and argue or get him out of there and make sure he doesn’t need serious medical attention?” I snapped.

“If I get a vote, get me out. Fuck, this hurts,” Heath shouted. He groaned in pain.

“And before you say you’ll go down, without a pulley, I can’t pull your asses up. It has to be me,” I told Beau. I could tell that was what he was about to say.

Beau wasn’t happy, but he gave in. The next several minutes were spent with us getting out their equipment. Someone, maybe Heath, had put several items in the back of the SUV. Along with a considerable length of sturdy rope, there was a decent-sized first aid kit, a couple of Mylar thermal blankets, energy bars, and water. I could work with this.

The gloves we wore would come in handy for rope work. I set up the rope on the tree after making sure the tree was sturdy enough. Then, I quickly looped and knotted the other end so I could secure myself to it. We’d have to bring Heath up first, and then Beau would lower it again to get me, but that was fine.

Beau grabbed my hand before I walked backward to the hole’s edge. “Be careful. If it looks too dangerous, get your ass out of there. The last thing Heath will want is for you to die along with him.”

“No one is going to die. I’ll be careful. Let’s go.”

I wished I had my headlamp light, but the flashlight would have to do. I held it in my mouth as I was lowered. As soon as my feet hit the ground, a little slack formed in the line before I tugged on it to signal Beau to stop. I wasn’t able to call up to him until I was loose and the light was out of my mouth.

“I’m glad to see you,” Heath said from the right of me.

“I’m good,” I hollered.

I went to Heath, who was lying propped up against a piece of metal. I’d rigged the first aid kit to the belt on my jeans. I removed it before hunkering next to him. His face appeared pale, and he wasn’t smiling.

“Try to stay still and let me check you out. Which leg hurts and where?” I asked, not wasting time on pleasantries.

He pointed to his left leg below his calf. I took out the knife I carried and slit the pant leg up to his knee. It was denim, so there was no way to tear it by hand, and I didn’t want to chance hurting him more by tugging it up. The sight of the hematoma and the swelling forming in the area was a sign he was right. But the only way to know for sure was to X-ray it.

“Do you hurt anywhere else?”

“I scraped my hands and arms while trying to break my fall. I feel like I have bruises on my ass and back, but nothing that I think is broken. I tried to land on my feet, but I came down on a pile of debris, and my leg twisted. I thought I heard something crack,” he said through gritted teeth.

I tried to be fast and ask the fewest questions. In between, I was yelling updates to Beau. I know it was too slow for him, but it was record time in my experience that I had Heath assessed, his leg splinted, and he was secured in the rope. I assisted him to his feet. He leaned on me rather than putting weight on his bad leg.

“I’ll support you until your feet clear the ground. Just hang on,” I reminded him after telling Beau to start hoisting him.

“Got it. And can I say you’re the prettiest nurse I’ve ever had?” He winked.

“If you can flirt, then you’re fine,” I said, shaking my head and grinning.

Right before his feet were clear, he lowered his head and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. When he let go, he told me, “Don’t tell Beau I did that, or he’ll kill me.”

I didn’t understand why he said it or was laughing, so I let it go. Instead, I decided to spend a few minutes exploring the area until my turn came. I waved my flashlight around. Wood and metal lay all over the place. I realized the metal was bars from cages. I shivered, thinking of being trapped in one of those. I shifted debris around on the floor to see what might be underneath. More wood and dirt were all I found.

I hated hearing Beau shouting that the rope was on its way down. I saw it drop. I was walking back to it when I stumbled on something. Looking down with my light, I saw it was fabric. I bent to pull it loose. When it was released, I found I was holding what appeared to be a blouse that a woman would wear. It was filthy and torn, but the color and design were evident. My heart began to pound. I stuffed it into a plastic bag from the first aid kit, and then, with shaking hands, I secured myself to the rope and tugged on it.

I could hardly breathe as I was raised above. When I reached the safety of the original floor, Beau rushed over to me.

“Where is Heath?” I asked as I undid the rope.

“He’s in the SUV. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Let’s get out of here. I need to check him out better.”

While he gathered the rope, I took the kit to the car. Keeping busy kept my mind from going where I didn’t want it to go. I placed it on the floor of the front passenger side, where I would ride. Heath was sprawled out in the backseat with his leg propped up. He gave me a nod.

In no time, we were on the road back to the rental. As we sped back, I took the plastic bag from the kit.

“What’s that?” Heath asked. Beau glanced over.

“I found it down where you were,” I told him softly.

“What is it? Another blanket?” Beau asked.

“No, it’s a woman’s blouse.”

They both sighed. “Not surprising since we know they held them there,” Beau said.

“No, it’s not. I just wish I hadn’t found it.” I stopped.

“Why’s that?” Heath asked.

“Because my sister has one exactly like it. Same color and everything,” I whispered.

The reality that she might’ve actually been in one of those cages and exposed to God knows what hit me. The tears flooded my eyes. They let me cry. It took most of the drive for me to get the tears out of my system. It might not be Kensy’s, but then again, it might. I hadn’t noticed her clothes when I searched her apartment after the police allowed me inside. I was itching to be back in Montana to do it now.

???

Sitting in my seat on the plane on my way back home, I thought about the past two days. After we’d returned from checking out the two sites, I’d done a more thorough examination of Heath. Although I wasn’t a doctor, I did have extensive paramedic training. I was ninety-five percent sure he didn’t have any internal injuries, nor was his leg broken after all.

I was impressed with how quickly the Dark Patriots got someone to transport him out of there and back to Virginia. I was assured he’d be checked out by a doctor there just to be sure. The following day, we’d gotten news that he didn’t have a broken tibia, and he was expected to recover in no time. No other serious injuries were found.

The items we’d found at both locations had also been picked up. They were taken to a lab to have them tested for DNA and prints. We’d see if they found any clues about the owners. I tried not to obsess over the blouse, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Beau tried his best to make me feel better. He told me the odds of it belonging to Kensington were astronomical. I knew they were, but I still wondered if it was hers.

The Patriots didn’t send anyone to take Heath’s place. We had another video call with the bosses, and they told us that once we left, a new operative would be there to keep watch. I had no idea how long they planned to do it.

“Keeley, you need to eat. There’s a tasty meal in the galley. I’m getting us each one,” Beau stated, dragging me away from my contemplations.

“I’m not hungry,” I automatically said.

“Like hell you’re not. You’ve been barely eating. Either you eat, or I’m calling the bosses and telling them you need to be taken off this assignment,” he threatened.

My head whipped around to glare at him. He was up, moving around the cabin.

“You’re not taking me off this. Call them and see what happens,” I snarled.

“Try me. If you don’t eat, you’re done.”

“You can’t make that decision,” I snapped.

“Undertaker and the others will go with my recommendation. If I tell them you’re being adversely affected, they will.”

“Fine, I’ll eat, but don’t think you can make me do everything you want, Beau.”

He grinned at me. “Only when it affects your health and safety and in special instances.”

“What special instances?” I stood to follow him to get my food.

“I’ll let you know,” he replied.

I had to admit that flying back to Montana was way better than the flight to South Carolina. We were using Hadley’s private jet, and we were the only two on the plane. I’d never been on one. It was even nicer than what I had seen on television, and they were great.

We took our meals out of the heated compartment and back to our seats. There were tray tables that could be popped up to sit them on. After we were seated, I removed the coverings and felt hunger hit me. It was a feast for the eyes and nose. My mouth watered. I hoped it tasted as good as it smelled and looked. Popping the first bite in my mouth, I moaned. It was.

It was a high-end meal. You would expect to find it in a fine restaurant, not on an airplane. The starter was tuna carpaccio, followed by a main course of braised beef, potato cake, compressed carrots, and stuffed cabbage. There was even dessert—saffron and red wine poached pears in pomegranate and orange sauce with mascarpone cream. I knew what everything was due to the small menu with it. By the time I was finished, I was stuffed and ready for a nap.

“Do you eat like this every time you fly on this thing?” I asked.

“This is only the second time I’ve been on it, but yes, I had an excellent meal on the way to Spartanburg, too. If you’re tired, you can use the bedroom in the rear. There’s no tiny-you-can’t-turn-around bathroom on here either.”

“God, I don’t think I can ever take a commercial flight again after traveling like this. Thankfully, I don’t fly often, or I’d be calling and begging to use this,” I joked.

“Play your cards right, and you might be able to use it again,” he teased.

I laughed. He insisted on removing the empty food trays. I sat there drifting while he puttered around in the galley. It was a while before he came back.

“What did you do? Wash the dishes?”

“No, I was talking to the pilot and copilot. The weather might get a bit dicey when we get close to Missoula. A weather front is moving in. They’ll warn us if we need to put on our seatbelts.”

“Lord, turbulence. At least it shouldn’t be as bad in here as hitting it while in a helo or hanging out of one,” I informed him.

He nodded. “Yeah, that sucked. I hated when we’d run into that.”

“Tell me about your time in the military. You said you were a Marine Raider. Dad talked about a bunch of different groups, not just in the Army, but I don’t recall if he said anything about them.”

“They’re a special team within the Marines, like your dad’s Green Berets. I started in the Marine Corps as part of the Force Reconnaissance group. We weren’t officially called the Raiders when I was part of them. That happened after I got out, but most people now recognize that name. The origin of the group goes back to World War II.

“I was part of the Marine Corps Special Operations Command Detachment One, Det 1 for short. It was a pilot program when I was in it. When we were first activated in 2003, there were only eighty-six of us. As part of the pilot program, we deployed to Iraq with the Navy SEALs in 2004. We were part of the Second Battle of Fallujah, if you recall that. In 2006, it was disbanded and became the Marine Corps Special Operations Command, MARSOC. I got out in 2012 and joined the Dark Patriots shortly afterward. We did a lot of special warfare stuff, which is still classified, so I can’t go into detail on those.”

“How long did you serve?” I asked.

“Sixteen years.”

“You were so close to retirement. Were you medically retired?” I hadn’t noted anything to make me think he had a serious old injury, but I could be wrong.

“No, I chose to get out. When they wouldn’t grant me more leave after what Bryony endured so I could help her, I’d had enough. They could’ve granted me more time off. I had plenty of leave time on the books, but my command wanted me running missions and the hell with my family. Not quite a year later, my enlistment was up, and I refused to reenlist for four more years. They tried to bribe me with reenlistment bonuses and promises, but I passed.”

“I’m sorry they did that. Dad talked about how sometimes the upper command was a pain in the ass. However, he formed close relationships with a few of the guys he served with. I met most of them, like Reed. They were his brothers and would do anything for each other. Do you have any of those?”

“I do. I’ve asked a few to join the Patriots, but so far, they’ve passed. I hope my blood brothers will, but I don’t know if they’ll end up with me. Bennett is due to retire soon, and I’ve been talking to him. He said he’s thinking about it. Undertaker’s wife, Sloan, was a Marine. She and I served together. She’s hell on wheels and a great operative. Of course, now that she’s about to have their second baby in just over five weeks, she’s not in the field as much. Undertaker tries to keep her in the office when he can.”

“Is that because he thinks she should stay home, be barefoot and pregnant, or that she’s not as good as a man?” I snapped without thinking.

“Whoa, don’t put words in my mouth. Sloan will kill me if she thinks I said that. If she doesn’t, Undertaker will. Her man knows she can handle herself. She was his partner when they went undercover to take down an outlaw biker club. He tried to go alone, but it wasn’t because she was a woman. They brought those bastards down. He knows she can more than handle herself. He likes her to be where he knows she’s safe, but he doesn’t demand it.”

“Why wouldn’t he want her to be his partner if he hired her?”

“He didn’t hire her. See, Undertaker was thought to be dead, but in reality, he was undercover with another outlaw club. One way bigger and worse than the one he and Sloan dismantled. He was undercover and alone for five years, Keeley. He was used to working without backup. When he came home, the Patriots refused to allow him to go into another operation without someone having his back.”

“Five years! I’ve got to hear this story,” I exclaimed.

He told me the story. When he was done, I was reeling. His sister had thought he was dead for all those years, and he’d given up so much of his life and self to bring those evil men down. I had crazy respect for him. Although, if I were Cassidy, I would still be kicking all four of the original Patriots’ asses.

“Undertaker is a beast. But if I were Cassidy, then Undertaker, Sean, Gabe, and Griffin would still be having their asses kicked and speed knots put on their heads,” I told Beau.

He laughed. “There are days she reminds them of it, usually when she’s trying to get her way. They feel guilty as hell. I can see why they did it, but I can see her side of it, too. If I thought one of my brothers or Bryony was dead and found out years later they weren’t and others knew it, I’d be royally pissed.”

He entertained me with more stories about the Patriots and some about the various motorcycle clubs they were friends with, especially the one his sister was married into. He explained biker culture and terminology to me. It made me want to meet them and see what it was like in person. There were bikers in Montana, but I’d never socialized with any of them.

Since he shared his stories, I had to tell him about my experiences with search and rescue. The way he frowned sometimes, I guessed he didn’t like that I put myself in danger. I had news for him. It wasn’t as dangerous as he thought, with training and proper attention. Sure, things could always go wrong, but we had more successes than failures or tragic endings. What he did for the Dark Patriots wasn’t the safest work in the world.

Being on a direct flight and having someone to talk to made the time fly by. We were less than an hour from Missoula when one of the pilots came over the PA system.

“Please take a seat and fasten your seatbelts. We’re entering a storm system. We’ll try to divert around its outer edge, but it’s probably still going to be a bumpy ride.”

We didn’t waste time sitting and securing the belts. I was amused and touched when Beau reached over to test that mine was tight enough. I grinned as I did the same to him. He rolled his eyes, but he did smile. Moments later, we hit the first turbulence.