“She’s afraid of his mental state.Afraid enough that she’s asking for help,” Cassie told him.
Deke looked puzzled.“I didn’t hear that.”
“Me and Peaches have been together from the age of five, we have a way of saying stuff without really saying it.Do you remember when I asked her where she was and she told me she didn’t really know?I think she knew already.Her answer told me that he had hurt her.If she wasn’t hurt she would have said something likemaybe.But she didn’t, all she said was she didn’t really know.”
Iceman shook his head and asked, “How did you know enough to tell her to wear the old vest?”
Cassie turned her head and explained, “When I was with the Screaming Falcons I could see just how unorganized they were.Especially this Banger guy.He doesn’t think two steps ahead, only in the minute.His MC brothers did have enough sense to look worried when they realized who I was, at least.They also didn’t look happy when I got there.They did not like it when Rodney hit me either.Those men weren’t bad, they just tried to be loyal to this Banger as he was part of the original club.And that was why I told you all to let them go.And Banger knows Peaches is very connected, not only with us but her family as well.He doesn’t think he has anything to fear from the Vincintis because he doesn’t think they can find him.Like I said, he isn’t sane right now.”She shook her head.“What he doesn’t know is that if he hurts Peaches bad enough, Leon and Calderone won’t stop until they find him.”Shaking her head, she added, “It ain’t gonna be pretty.Then he’ll have you and Iceman to deal with.”
“Yeah, he’s a dead man walking right now, but he won’t be for long, I can guarantee that.”Iceman growled.
The other men in the room nodded in agreement.
Chapter Three
“Do you know where thegold is?”Sam asked her.
Cassie nodded.“I think I do.When we still lived in Boston, Robbie would always show up on the streets doing his own thing, but there were nights when I followed him.For our own safety, I needed to know what he was up to and where he went.That boy was a menace on his own, but every once in a while he hooked up with some other guys and they wreaked havoc.He always ended up at a small, abandoned house on the far edge of town.One night about ten years ago he got himself an old truck and began hauling something very heavy over to this same house.He dragged box after box into the place.Then he would go home to Janelle’s house and sneak in the back way so she would never know he left.”
She paused to take a drink of water and then she went on, “One night after he went home, I found a way into that house and I looked around.There was nothing special about it and the inside was nasty.Dust and piles of take-out boxes, even the basement was empty.But that was twelve years ago.Well, it’s been twelve years since I was there anyway.I have no doubt that he never told Janelle about it.He wouldn’t have wanted his mother in his business.He would have had to be careful that he kept his so-called house a secret.I do know that twelve years ago Janelle didn’t know about it.She would have ratted him out to the FBI to get her own break.I think after what went down with Janelle getting busted a few years later he went to that house.”
Deke looked at Iceman again and nodded.“I’ll take that bet.That’s probably the only reason the cops never caught him.He was living in both houses.”
Iceman shook his head.“I don’t give a shit where he lived.Right now, all I care about is the fact that someone has my wife and he’s hurting her.I want to get her back before he kills her.”
Cassie reached over and patted his hand.“We’ll get her back in one piece, we have to.I can’t imagine not getting her back.And when we do, you and Deke can hang him up by his balls if you want.”
“How do you plan to catch him?”Sam finally spoke up.
Cassie leaned back in her chair and replied, “Banger thinks he’s in charge right now, so we let him believe that.Up front that is, but behind everything?We’ll be in charge.We’ll get as close to where they are as we can, that way we can watch him fall apart in real time.”
“And just how are we gonna get close enough and not have him hear us?”Deke wanted to know.
Cassie smiled.“Well baby, where there’s a will, there is always a way.We just have to find it.”
A half an hour later...
