“I’m going over to his office in an hour to get what’s owed us.”
He squeezed hot sauce from the package. “I’ll go with you.”
“No need. I’m in the mood to face him alone.”
Jacko looked over at me. “What are you up to? She’s just a girl,” he said.
“She’s not just a girl, Jacko.”
“Then tell her to pack up and sneak out of the house. We’ll head out tomorrow morning.” He took a bite of taco, and an avalanche of lettuce and cheese followed.
“It’s not that simple.”
Jacko wiped hot sauce from his mouth with the back of his hand and leaned close enough that I could smell the beer on his breath. “You’re not going to off him, are you? I mean, dude, she’s hot and all that, but she’s not worth a prison term.” He took another bite, and more food fell on the floor.
I stared down at the mess he was making. “Just eat your fucking tacos, and I’ll let you know if I need you.” It was time to face Gamble and tell him I was taking Roxie with me. With lack of a better plan, I’d decided a few standing threats about club revenge if he turned in evidence against her brother might just do the trick. The man seemed all talk and no balls. He was, after all, scared enough of Bent for Hell to hire Bedlam to fight them off. It was time to put the blackmailing coward in his place.
chapter 28
Roxie
I was thrilled to get the new, nervous looking guy sitting behind the bullet proof window in the bank. His nametag said Barry. I figured he’d be easy to convince. I had the keys and the tag with the box number. During my work in the office, I’d seen Trace’s personal info enough that I knew his social security number and even his bank account number. Two minutes into my conversation, my first assumption about Barry being a pushover proved wrong. The new bank employee was making sure to stick to all the rules.
I held up the keys. “I mean how else would I have the keys if he hadn’t given them to me? He just wanted me to grab a few things from the box.” I batted my lashes and smiled.
Barry returned the smile. “I’d need to at least talk to Mr. Gamble and get his approval to let you into his safe deposit box.”
I pulled out my phone. “That won’t be a problem. I’ll just ring him up.” I dialed Jericho’s number, and he answered.
“Hey, baby, want to explain the weird texts?”
“Hey, Trace, I’m here at the bank trying to get into the safe deposit box like you asked me to. The nice man helping me just needs to ask you a couple of things to prove you are Mr. Gamble and that you want me to get into the box.”
“Ah, you clever girl. Of course, now you’ll have even more explaining to do. Hand the phone over to the diligent banker.”
I kept up the sweet smile as the man asked his security questions, date of birth and mother’s maiden name. Barry nodded. “Thank you very much, Mr. Gamble.” He handed me back the phone. “Everything’s in order. Walk down to the end door, and I’ll buzz you in,” he said.
I had no real idea if my theory about the security tape being in the box would prove true. It was just as likely that he had other important papers inside, but I had to look. I needed to get away from Trace soon. Things were growing more heated and more dangerous between us. And then there was the even more important fact that I’d fallen in love with someone else. Jericho had been the true catalyst for me to do something to get Trace out of my life for good. If I got my hands on the tape, he’d no longer have evidence.
We walked into the vault. Barry pulled out the correct box and placed it on the counter height table in the center of the vault. He walked out and left me alone for a minute. As I lifted the metal lid, my heart sank. There was a stack of important looking papers inside. I shuffled them. Tucked in the corner of the box was a silver flash drive. It had to be a copy of the security video. The video had been deleted off Trace’s computer. He’d told the police that he’d been having trouble with the system and that he never turned the cameras on until closing.
I shoved the flash drive into my purse and closed the lid. I waved a thank you at Barry and hurried out of the bank. I needed to get home to my computer and check out the flash drive. Adrenaline was pumping through my body. I had to brace myself for two possibilities. It might not contain anything that had to do with that fateful night, which would be devastating. Or it might very well be the tape I was looking for, and I would have to watch a video of my brother killing a man. I badly wanted to call Jericho and tell him what I was up to, but I needed to wait and see what I had first.
My phone rang as I climbed into the car. “Hey, Sean, I’m just getting on the road.”
“Rox, I need a big favor. Nancy isn’t feeling too good. I’m going to take her to the emergency room. Can you come sit with Easton?”
I sighed. “What’s wrong with her?”
“She’s having dizzy spells.”
“She’s on tons of medication. I would think those are normal.” I wasn’t usually so dismissive of Nancy’s issues, but sometimes it seemed so constant. The family never got a break from her not feeling well. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Of course Sean had no money for a computer, and now, I’d have to wait to see what was on the flash drive.
chapter 29
Jericho
Happy’s was definitely a hole in the wall place, and from the few faces of people walking out as I walked in, no one left too happy. The place did have a great view of the cove. The steamboat was just coming in to dock, its decks loaded with tourists out for a day on the lake.
A girl who was busy wiping down the four little tables set up behind the rows of slot machines showed me to Gamble’s office. On the ride over, I’d thought about what I might say to him and then rational thoughts had taken over. I couldn’t threaten him yet. I needed to get Roxie away from him first. After seeing the handprint on her face, I knew he wasn’t beyond hurting her. For now, I’d say nothing. I’d pick up the last few thousand he owed us, then I’d head over to the lake house to get Roxie. She’d been up to something at the bank, but I wasn’t sure what yet.
Gamble was writing in a day planner when I knocked on his open door. He glanced at me, and I knew right away something was up. He looked too damn pleasant.
“Walsh, come on in. I’m just finishing up my schedule.” He wrote a few more things down. He placed his pen on the desk and closed his plan book. There was something way too mechanical about his movements as if he was going out of his way to look calm. He adjusted a few things on his desk and reached into his drawer for something. His strange mood put me on edge enough that I actually inched my hand toward the gun under my cut.
He noticed and spurted a dry laugh as he held up a set of keys. “Just need these. We have to walk down to the basement where the safe is kept.” He glanced at a sticky note on his desk. “I calculated that I owed you thirty-one hundred. Does that seem right to you?”
“Sounds right.”
“Let’s go then. I think I have exactly that in the safe.”
We walked down a narrow passage to a door. Nothing out of the ordinary except for the way Gamble was carrying himself, stiff but trying to look casual, at ease. The cellar grew dark as we trudged down the rickety steps. Gamble flicked on a switch, and a dust covered light bulb dangling from two wires glowed dimly in the center of the basement. He didn’t look back as he crossed the room to a wall that had a metal safe butted up against it. I took two steps into the dimly lit room and heard a noise. We weren’t alone.
My hand slid under my cut to the handle of my gun, but before I could draw it, there was a metal barrel pressed against my temple. I heard the gun cock. “Now, you hold still, Mr. President, while my partner relieves you of your weapon.” I didn’t recognize the voice. The partner stepped around in front of me wearing a full face ski mask just like the other guy. He reached under my cut and took out my gun. Nothing about him seemed familiar. He was big. So were the other two men who stepped out of the shadows, also disguised, one in a zombie mask and one in a white
hockey mask. My guess was that none of these hit men wanted their names floated about in MC circles as the guys who’d taken out the Bedlam president. Gamble stood across the room watching the scene as if sitting in front of a television. Not counting Gamble, mostly because he was too much of a worthless dick to count, it was four to one.
With a gun pushed up against my brain, the fight or flight options that my body was debating had been reduced to fight. There was no way to flee until I pounded in some skulls, and I was pretty sure Gamble wasn’t planning on letting me walk out of the basement alive.
Gamble walked across the room. “I know you’ve been fucking Roxie.”
I stared at him coldly, tamping down any reaction to his words. “If you touch one hair on her head—”
He laughed. I wanted to throw my fist into his ugly face. “And you’ll what? Always so cool and in control. Looks like you’ve lost control of the situation, Walsh. I just needed you and your minions to come in here and keep Bent for Hell from stealing my money. Just like you said, I was disappointed as hell. Would have loved to have seen a bunch of outlaw biker brains splattered all over the fucking interstate. Who knew you’d all stop and have a fucking tea party instead.” An angry chuckle rolled from his mouth. “Now I’ll have to deal with Bent for Hell myself. I’m sure you know all about my deal with Roxie. No doubt she’s sobbed to you the horrible life she’s had to lead living in fucking luxury just so her dear brother doesn’t go to jail for murder. Well, it’s all over for her and for her family and for you. I’ve called in some favors from a very influential loan shark whose men know how to take care of business. They don’t even need the big angry looking Harley’s beneath them to do it.” This comment earned some muffled laughs from his hired helpers.
“No? But they do seem to hide behind masks to, as you say, take care of business.” I glanced around. “You boys afraid of some retribution? Good, then you’re not as dumb as your boss here. After you kill me, you all won’t be able to take a shit without worrying that someone is going take you out.” I could only see eyes through the holes in their masks, but they glanced around at each other with some apprehension.
“Guess the paycheck is good though, so—” I whipped out the switchblade I had under my cut and swung it at the man with his gun to my head. It sliced through the side of his hand. Blood sprayed the filthy gray walls of the basement as he dropped the gun and brought his hand against his chest to staunch the flow. A fist nailed me in the side, and as I leaned over a steel-toed boot came at my face. I grabbed the foot. The guy yelled behind his zombie mask as I wrenched his ankle into an unnatural position. I heard the crack of bone in his boot. As I released the foot, the other two came at me. One of them rammed me into the edge of the handrail on the stairs. It jammed painfully into my back and took the breath from me. Before I could recover, another fist came at my face. Blood poured from my mouth. I spit to clear it from my throat. Using the railing that had nailed me in the back for support, I kicked the knee of the thug with a hockey mask. He fell sideways as he grabbed his leg in pain. The fourth guy came at me. As I swiped at him with my switchblade, something hard came down on the back of my head. It was the last thing I felt before everything went black.
chapter 30
Roxie
After playing pirates for two hours, Easton had collapsed on the couch with his head in my lap. He was still fast asleep by the time Sean and Nancy returned. They’d spent three hours in the emergency waiting room only to be told by one of the attending physicians that Nancy needed to see her own doctor in the morning. She had so much medication in her blood, he’d told her, it would be impossible to make any diagnosis. He assured her the dizziness was coming from the meds.
Sean carried Easton into bed, and Nancy, with hardly a word of thanks, shuffled back into her bedroom and shut the door. I kissed Sean good-bye and left before he could start a whole long rant about Nancy and dealing with all of her mood swings. I felt a little guilty about not staying to lend an ear, but it was always a pointless conversation. I had no more advice to give. Her situation was bleak to say the least, but mine wasn’t all that much brighter.
I was thoroughly disappointed to find Trace’s car in the driveway of the lake house. I’d tried several times during the evening to call and text Jericho, but he hadn’t answered his phone. I tried not to read anything into it. I knew his business here in Tahoe was finished. I was sure his guys were anxious to get back to their lives in Reno. Jericho had no real reason to stay and, for the time being, I couldn’t make him any promises. After a few wonderful hours with Easton, I was reminded about my whole reason for getting tangled up in this. I wasn’t going to do anything that would harm Easton.
I would make an excuse to go to bed, and hopefully, Trace would give me a few minutes of peace so that I could check out the flash drive. I had also come to the depressing notion that even if this was the security video, I could never be sure that it was the only copy. Trace’s plans were usually as devious as they were well-thought out.
Trace was in the great room watching television. I hurried through to get a bottle of water from the kitchen. “I’ve been babysitting Easton,” I said. “I’m beat. Think I’ll head up to bed early.”
Trace didn’t turn to look back at me when he spoke. “Come sit here with me for a second. There’s something really interesting on television.”
A chill went through me. Nothing about his tone was natural. He patted the couch. “Come sit. I think you’ll want to see this.”
I tried to take a steadying breath, but I couldn’t seem to slow my erratic pulse. I walked over. He didn’t look away from the monitor as I sat down, several feet from him. He sneered down at the cushion between us as he lifted the remote and pointed it at the massive television screen. A gritty piece of video with no sound popped up. It was dark and hard to discern. After a few seconds, the lounges on the balcony came into focus.
“See, after our little chat about your swollen lips, I got to thinking about stuff. The balcony door was ajar that one morning, and it kept itching at my brain.”
I stared at the film. I could hear my heart thumping against my ribcage. Two hands gripped the balustrade of the balcony. Jericho pulled himself easily over and onto the deck.
Trace lengthened his chin. “Impressive. Not an easy move. He must have really wanted to get inside.” He lifted his hand. “Now here’s where it gets interesting. He stops and says something. I am definitely going to upgrade my security system so that it has sound. I hate leaving shit to my imagination.” He looked over at me. “Although, I can probably figure it out if I study the video.” He turned back to the screen. “Now watch this. Jericho walks out of view of the camera, and the balcony is deserted again. Just like that, he disappears.” He stopped the video and leaned back. “Either that boy has an invisibility cloak or my slut of a girlfriend invited him inside.”
I shot up from the couch, but before I could dash from the room, he spoke again. “Uh, sweetheart, the best part of the flick is still coming.” He patted the sofa cushion. “I think you’re gonna want to see this. Might make you rethink some of your poor decisions.”
I felt close to puking as I returned to the couch. I wrapped my arms around myself to stop the shaking. He sat looking sinister and vicious and a complete stranger. I stood in front of the couch but refused to sit down.
He lifted the remote. Again, the film was gritty and the location dark and hard to see. But this time there was sound, and aside from a boat horn in the distance, I heard what I was certain was human flesh being pummeled. Groans of pain followed. The lens swept around quickly making me dizzy. It landed on a shirtless figure. I covered my mouth. Tears streamed from my eyes. As the picture came into focus showing the beaten and bloodied face and body of the man I loved, my knees gave out. I dropped onto the couch.
“Touching response, sweetheart,” Trace sneered. “I doubt you’d react that way if you saw four thugs beating the shit out of me.”
Jericho’
s hands were bound to the railing on a staircase, and four masked men took their turns hitting him. The bruises and cuts on his body and face looked as if they’d been at it for awhile. Even a man as tough as Jericho couldn’t withstand a beating like that for long.
“What do you want? I’ll do anything you want, just call and tell them to stop,” I sobbed.
“Now, that’s all I ever wanted to hear from those plump lips. All I wanted was a little cooperation. But you fucked up when you started letting that biker into your pants. Now you’ve screwed him, you’ve screwed your brother and his pathetic little family and you’ve screwed yourself.”
I ran from the room, grabbed my purse and keys and flew out the door. He didn’t follow. I was crying so hard, driving was a chore, but I had to hold it together. I headed straight to the rental cabin. There had been enough sound and light for me to know where Jericho was being held. The boat horn in the distance had been the pleasure steamboat in Zephyr Cove. I’d only been down in the basement of Happy’s once or twice to count money, but I knew that’s where he was.
A flurry of nightmarish thoughts went through my head. If Jacko and Reed weren’t at home, I would head to Happy’s myself. I knew where the cashiers kept a gun hidden. I was done letting Trace Gamble destroy my life.
chapter 31
Jericho
The guy who I’d kicked in the knee was standing on one good leg as he reached down and grabbed my hair. He wrenched my head back so that my face was pointing up. My one eye was swollen shut, and I couldn’t feel much of my face anymore. “Not such a big shot now are you, badass?” he snarled.
“Considering it took four of you,” I grunted. Each movement of my jaw sent shooting pain through my head. “I’m feeling even more badass than ever.” His buddy’s boot shot into my stomach. I dropped forward, hanging solely by the ropes around my wrists. They’d stripped off my cut and my shirt to make sure I didn’t have any other hidden weapons. The temperature in the basement was dropping fast. The cold air made everything hurt worse. Each breath I took assured me that I had some broken ribs.