Iceman went quiet ashe finished telling them about what Peaches had done that ended up getting them together.Now he leaned his head back and gazed up at the starlit sky.“I can’t...”He seemed to get choked up.
“Man, she will make it out.”Deke patted his arm.
“If not for her sake she will make it out for yours,” Cassie told Iceman.“You gave her a family of her own.That was the one big thing we used to dream about when we were living on the street, having someone out there give a damn about us.Have someone on our side with a pair of warm arms to keep us safe.You and Deke gave us that and so much more.You gave us kids of our own so that we’d never be alone again.Peaches just has to remember that and I think she will fight to stay alive.She found her family again after sixteen years.We both got our dream after we found you guys.”
“But you kept her safe growing up,” Iceman told her softly.“You gave her hope for another day.”
Cassie smiled.“Yeah I did but along the way we both learned some very harsh life lessons.We both learned that we have to fight hard sometimes just to stay alive to see that next day.But she learned that too, not just me.When I told her to wear that vest she knew this might be possible.She knew she had to be ready for anything but she also knew that you would come for her.She believes in that.She knows that but Banger doesn’t and that’s your edge.”
Deke came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.“Babe, we all know you have a safe place in your mind, but does Peaches have one too?”
Cassie turned slowly and with tears in her eyes she nodded quietly.Then she leaned into his chest.“Yeah, she does.She doesn’t go there often because she doesn’t like it there.She used to be afraid of the dark when she was a kid.I tried to tell her there was nothing to be afraid of.The darkness would protect her but she was afraid anyway.I think something happened to her at Janelle’s house, something she would never talk about, she was only eight but it scared her so bad she could never tell me.I didn’t push it because I knew it was bad.That was when Robbie started teasing her.I stayed close to her then for the longest time but she never told me what happened and after a while we were on our own and life got hard.”
Sam had listened in the shadows and his rage built with every word Cassie said.He slipped away and crept closer to the building.When he got close he could hear Banger snapping at Peaches.He carefully rubbed the dirt from the windows and peeked inside.He frowned at what he was seeing.Banger was pacing back and forth while Peaches laid on the floor, hands tied behind her back.He looked closer and saw a bruise darkening on her jaw.
Peaches was the sweetest person, she and Melora were close too.She had been a good friend and helped Melora through her pregnancies and with the kids.He couldn’t stand it that she had been abused by this fucking nutcase.Sam clenched his hands into hard fists.
He quietly slipped away and went back to the group.
Deke looked up and stared at his father as he approached them.He could see the rage on his face and he sighed heavily.“What is it, Dad?”
Sam snapped his head up and jerked his thumb in the direction of the building.“I went and got a look inside.Banger is pacing back and forth and Peaches is laying on the floor all beat to hell,” Sam grumbled.“It looks like he hit her in the jaw more than once.”
Iceman growled then turned to face the building.“He’s mine to decimate.I promised Peaches no one would ever hurt her again and he made me a goddamn liar.”
Cassie grabbed his arm.“No, she knows you didn’t lie to her, that this isn’t on your shoulders.This is on his shoulders and his alone.”
Suddenly, Cassie’s phone rang.
When she answered it they all could hear Banger on the other end.“Are you ready to bargain yet?”
“Are you ready to let Peaches go yet?”Cassie grumbled.“I’m not telling you shit until she’s free.”
Banger let out a cold laugh.“You aren’t in charge here, little girl.That would be me.”
“And I know where Robbie put that gold.That means I got the answer to your missing fortune.You hurt my sister and you’ll never find it,” Cassie warned.
Banger screamed in rage, “OOOOH!If you double cross me there won’t be enough of Peaches left to scoop into a spoon!”
“If you hurt her,” Cassie growled lowly.“I will hunt you down and do to you what Robbie did to me and you know what a sick fuck he was.You send her out here right now.When I see her, then I’ll tell you where he hid it.But I ain’t saying a word until I see her.”
Banger paused for a moment then asked, “You’re outside?”
“Yeah asshole, I’m outside.”
“How the hell did you find us?”Banger roared.
“I just followed the yellow streak behind you,” Cassie taunted him.
“Oh honey, that’s gonna cost you,” Banger snapped, then the line went dead.
Cassie worried that this meant retaliation against Peaches.Maybe she had gone too far again.“Fuck,” she murmured beneath her breath.She glanced over at Deke then turned and looked at Iceman.
They both looked angry as fuck.
With a nod from her, the whole group moved closer to the building.
Cassie stood just outside the door when it opened suddenly.
