Peaches paled and shook her head. “You know everything now. When she gave you the evidence we carried away that night…that was everything.”

“Why do I doubt that?” Deke stared at her.

Peaches studied the tiger painting on the wall for a moment. “I’m surprised she handed it over to you actually.”

“Why?” Deke took a sip of his drink.

Peaches turned to study him now. “You don’t know the hell we went through. Cassie had been gathering that evidence for weeks before we left. She wouldn’t even tell me where she kept it. Even after we left, she would hide it. I asked her where and she would never tell me. All she ever said was that it was safe and as long as we had it, we were safe.”

Before he could respond, the main door flew open. Gator and the men he’d taken with him to dispose of Connie’s body returned.

Gator joined them and Reva poured him a drink.

“Did everything go okay?” Deke asked.

Gator nodded over the top of his glass. “That old sow made little work of her.”

“Did you have any problems coming back?”

Gator shook his head.

“How was traffic?” Deke asked.

Gator stared at him as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t. “Lots of traffic out there, more than usual anyway.”

Deke nodded. “We’d better get locked down then. Make sure the guys standing watch do their jobs. I don’t want any surprises.”’

Gator got to his feet and walked to the door. Some of the men sitting around joined him and they went outside.

Reva pushed herself away from the table. “I suppose I’d better get a meal together.”

“Just make sandwiches or something simple. The guys will be coming and going all night. Make sure you have plenty of coffee going. I don’t want anyone drinking too heavily until this is over,” Deke ordered.

Reva smiled slightly. “You got it boss.”

That left Peaches sitting with Deke. After a minute or so, she began to fidget. “I’d better go help Reva.” She got to her feet.

“Sit down,” Deke ordered without looking at her.

Peaches sat down hard.

“So, tell me what happened after you two left the Pierce household.”

Peaches’ hands began to shake and she wrapped them around her empty glass to hold it together. She couldn’t look at him and she had no idea what he wanted to know. “We left, we survived, and we made a new life for ourselves. What more is there to say?”

Deke glared at her but before he could say anything, he heard Cassie behind him.

“Why don’t you ask me what you want to know?”

Turning his head, he found her standing there.

“Why do you have to sneak around behind my back? My secrets don’t mean a damn thing to you do they?”

Peaches got to her feet. Her face was pale and she looked like she was going to cry. “Cassie, I wasn’t gonna tell him, I promise.” With a cry, she turned and ran to the kitchen.

“What are you hiding from me?” Deke demanded.

“Not a fucking thing you need to know.” Her voice was flat and sarcastic. “I don’t owe you a damn thing. If you don’t want me here, I’m gone. In fact, maybe I should just leave, that way whoever is coming will just go away. They can chase after me and you and your fucking club won’t have to worry.”

Earlier, when the door had closed behind him and she sat in his bedroom, Cassie felt tears rolling down her cheeks. She didn’t know why she cried. She didn’t know anything about sex before she met him but she knew he wasn’t giving her everything. She didn’t expect him to love her, hell she didn’t know what love was. So maybe she was wrong about him holding back but somehow deep down inside, she didn’t think so.

“You aren’t leaving here!” Deke yelled.

“You can’t fucking keep me here!” Cassie yelled back.

“The hell I can’t.” Deke growled.

“Go to hell.” Cassie snarled. Before he could respond, she swept the evidence together and stomped off toward the kitchen.

Reva didn’t look up at her, instead she ignored her altogether. She kept her hands busy making sandwiches.

Cassie searched the kitchen for her friend. She found Peaches sitting in the corner sobbing. She went over and sat down beside her. She wrapped her arm around the other woman’s shoulder and held her tight while Peaches cried. Cassie stared straight ahead. Tears burned her eyes but she wouldn’t cry. She wouldn’t give Deke the satisfaction of making her cry.

Peaches sobs lessened and finally stopped. Cassie knew she had fallen asleep and that was fine with her. She didn’t want to talk. The pain was too great and she thought her world would shatter any minute. She was barely holding on and right now, she needed room to breathe.

When Reva returned, she came over to where the girls were sitting. Without saying anything, she spread a blanket over both of them. Then she left them alone.

Deke sat there fuming. He’d never felt a rage quite like the one he was feeling now. He didn’t know how she did it. How she knew just what to say to make him flip. She was so damn stubborn, he wanted to spank her. Every little detail of her life was a battle to get her to share. She had too many secrets and he wanted to know them all, but he wanted her to share them with him. He didn’t want to have to ask about them. He swallowed his whiskey but before he could pour another, the door opened and Gator walked in. “Is everything set?”

Gator nodded. “Yup, but just as we locked the gate a car drove up. Detective Lance Sullivan wants a sit down.”

Deke sighed. “First, tell Reva the girls need to stay in the kitchen till he’s gone. Then let him in but only him. Nobody else is welcome. Also, make sure he gives up his gun. If he really wants answers, he’ll cooperate.”

Gator nodded and headed to the kitchen then after a moment, he went back outside.

Deke filled his glass and waited. When the door opened, he turned and saw Detective Sullivan coming his way. Deke waited until both men joined him. Gator sat down and they waited until Detective Sullivan sat across from him.

“So, what can I do for the Boston police?” Deke drawled.

Lance turned his head and studied the tiger on the wall. “So that’s what he should look like.” Turning back to Deke, he cleared his throat and said, “I’m looking for two young women.”

Deke snorted. “Good luck with that, man. What makes you think they’re here? We aren’t exactly known for entertaining young women.”

Lance opened the file folder he’d brought with him and took out a black and white photo. He slid it across the table in front of Deke.

Deke glanced at it and saw the outline of a tiger etched on a stone wall. The lines were crude and uneven, as was the surface of the wall they were drawn on. He studied the drawing then turned to view the painting on his wall. They were one and the same. He shrugged and pushed the photo back to Lance. “What makes you think she’s still here?”

“This is the closest I’ve gotten in over eleven years to finding them. I had to come.” Lance shrugged. “When this case hit my desk eleven years ago…I thought all it would take was time to find them, but that was my mistake. I couldn’t believe we’d have any trouble finding a couple of kids.” He shook his head. “The longer the case sat there unsolved, the more it bothered me.”

“What does that mean?” Gator asked gruffly.

“I met Mrs. Eleonore Pierce when I got a call about an attack on a fourteen year old boy. Robbie Pierce had been attacked inside his own home. The injuries he had I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. While he was in surgery, I tried to get a statement from his mother but she was in no condition to give one.”

“She was that upset?” Deke frowned.

“She wasn’t upset as much as she was enraged. Mrs. Pierce ran a fourteen bed state funded home for foster kids. She lived on site with her husband and teenage son. The whole time I was there, she kept pacing back and forth talking to herself. I stayed long enough to find out how Robbie was, then left. The next morning Mrs. Pierce came to the precinct to file charges against the girls. She demanded they be found and attempted murder charges be put on one of the girls.” Lance narrowed his eyes and stared at Deke as if to judge his reaction.

Deke shrugged. “What are these dangerous girls’ names? If I run into them I’ll give you a call.”

“They’re names are Josette Rearden and Callie Blake.”

Deke nodded and kept his expression blank. “If I run into them, I’ll let them know to call you.” He picked up his drink and sipped it.

Lance stood but didn’t walk away. Instead, he said, “I know there’s more to the story than I’ve been told. Mrs. Pierce isn’t going to give up and every year she comes to see me. She demands to know what progress is being made on finding the woman who murdered her son. I’ve tried to tell her that her son took his own life but she doesn’t listen. She said if Josette hadn’t done what she did, her Robbie would still be alive. She comes to see me every year on the anniversary of the day he died. I’ve been watching her and waiting for the opportunity to find something on this woman that I can use against her. I have a feeling this woman is bad news. The kids in her care won’t talk to us or Social Services. They’re too terrified, even after they left her care.” He tapped the edge of the file on the table and took a step away then stopped and stared at Deke. “Can I ask why this compound is on lockdown?”

“What makes you think it is?” Deke asked.

“I know what a lockdown looks like. You have men walking inside the fence, armed to the teeth, you’re setting up spotlights at key points, and you’re stopping vehicles outside the main gate. All of that means something to me.” Cocking his head he asked, “Are you expecting trouble?”

Deke picked up his glass and drank what was left. “Just everyday stuff I’m afraid. We just don’t want anyone knowing our business.”

Lance nodded. Reaching into his pocket, he drew out a card and laid it on the table. “Before I left Boston I heard a rumor. The way I understand it, Mrs. Pierce employed three different individuals to hunt down the girls and bring them back to Boston.”

“Do these three individuals have names?” Deke asked.

“Joey Holden, Michael Winger and Jeb Carlyle. These men are lowlifes. They don’t stop until they get whatever they’re after and they don’t care about hurting someone standing between them and what they want.”

Deke glanced over to Gator who shrugged his shoulders. Turning back to Lance, he waited.

“I think I’ll stick around town. I need some rest and I might as well get a good night sleep before I leave for Boston.” He headed toward the door. “My phone number is on the card, if you need it.”

Deke watched him walk out of the clubhouse. Neither he nor Gator said a word for the longest time. Then Deke suggested, “Let’s see what we can find out about the three men.”

“I can give Rusty a call.”

“Make sure you get pictures. I want to know what these bastards look like. If they come here looking for the girls, I want to look into their faces when they die.”

Gator nodded. “What are you going to do with the girls?”

“Hell if I know.” Deke scoffed. “Cassie isn’t telling me anything more than I need to know and Peaches is so scared, all she can do is cry. What the hell am I supposed to do with that?”

“You think there’s more to their story?” Gator asked.

“Oh, I know there is.” Deke nodded. “But neither girl is willing to tell me what that is.”

“Maybe you should let Sullivan take them back to Boston,” Gator suggested.

Deke shook his head. “Something else happened the night they left and I want to know what it is. I think Peaches might tell us but I want Cassie to do the telling. I need her to trust me enough to tell me the truth.”

“Do you think Sullivan will charge Cassie with murder?”

“I think when all the facts come out, he’ll arrest this Pierce bitch for more than just murder.”

Gator got to his feet. “I’ll get Rusty doing his thing.”

Deke got up and walked to the kitchen. He knew he needed to clear his head and the only thing that would do that was strong black coffee. He entered and Reva spun around with a knife in her hand. Deke frowned. “What the hell?”

Reva laid the knife down on the counter and took a deep breath. “Sorry Deke, you startled me. I didn’t hear you come in.”

“Do you know where the girls are?” he asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

Reva turned and looked at the far corner.

Deke followed her gaze and frowned.

Both Cassie and Peaches were sleeping, covered with a blanket.

“That girl is close to her breaking point. She can’t take much more,” Reva spoke quietly.

“Honey, I don’t want her broken. I just want the truth to come out. She’s had a hard life and no one has ever stood up for her. I want her to know I’ll be there for her. That she can lean on me when she has to.”

“Then stop bullying her. Let her come to you,” Reva told him.

“There isn’t time for that,” Deke growled. “The cops just left and now, we have three very dangerous men coming our way.”

“I heard.”

Wiley came in just then and Deke suggested, “Let’s move the girls to somewhere more comfortable.” He nodded at Wiley.

Wiley looked troubled.

“What?” Deke asked.

“I-I can’t touch her.”

Deke cracked a smile. “I can put Cassie in my room while you put Peaches in another room.”

Deke went over and gathered Cassie in his arms. He carried her to his bedroom and watched as Wiley carried Peaches down the hall to another room. Neither of them woke up. As Deke took the papers from her hand and pulled the blanket up over her shoulder, a single tear rolled down her cheek. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. Then he went over to the chair in the corner and sat down.

Having nothing better to do, he began looking over the evidence again. He hadn’t really had a chance to look closely at the items Cassie kept hidden for more than half her life but he had time to search through it now.

One of the items was a small notebook. He opened the cover and began to read what was written there. At first, it didn’t make sense to him and he flipped through the pages quickly. Then he went back to the beginning and started reading it again. On the third page, something clicked. Everything in the book was coded. All he had to do was figure out the code. Frustrated, he turned the next couple of pages and found something he could figure out. It was a list of initials along with monies paid.

Deke rubbed his jaw as he stared at the list of payments. He didn’t know what it meant but he would bet Cassie knew. The list was several pages long and some of the payments had a plus sign in front of them. Deke figured that plus sign meant money coming in. Things were beginning to make sense now but he needed confirmation. If what he thought was going on, was really happening, it was a fucked up mess.

With a heavy sigh, he closed the book and laid his head back against the chair. Closing his eyes, he tried to clear his mind but he found he couldn’t. Opening his eyes a fraction, he stared at Cassie. Had she figured out what the Pierce woman was doing? Was that her dirty little secret?

Deke rubbed his fingers across his forehead trying to relieve the pain of his headache. He paused when he heard footsteps stopping at his door. He got up and opened the door.

Gator stood there with his hand raised as if to knock.

“Did you make the call?”

Gator nodded. “I don’t think you’re gonna like what Rusty had to say about those three.”

Deke stepped out of his room and walked a few feet down the hall. Turning to Gator, he prompted, “Tell me.”

“When I gave him the names he hadn’t heard of Holden or Winger but he knew the name Jeb Carlyle.”

“How did he know that name?”

Gator rubbed his fingers along his jaw. “Carlyle is one tough sonofabitch. Rusty says he likes to play and he plays rough. Word around Boston is he’s connected to a string of street women who have turned up almost beaten to death.”

“Fuck.” Deke swore.

“He said he would find out what he could about the other two and forward their photos to your phone.”

Deke nodded handing the notebook to Gator. “Take this to Zipper and have him look at it. Don’t leave him alone with it. Stand over top of him and don’t let that book out of your sight. I want to know what it means.” Deke turned, but turned back, “Oh, and Gator, before you find Zipper, go give your woman a kiss. She deserves it.”

Gator grinned and took off toward the kitchen.

Deke returned to the bedroom and found Cassie sitting on the bed going through the evidence. She looked up at him with panic in her eyes. “Where is it? It’s not here! How can it not be here?”

“What are you looking for?” Deke frowned.

“The little notebook. It was here earlier.”

Deke sat down next to her. Very carefully, he took her hands in his. “I gave the notebook to Gator. I have a man who might be able to decode it.”

Cassie stared at his hand. Pulling hers loose from his hold, she scooted away from him. “You had no right to take it.”

“Do you know what was in that book?”

Cassie nodded.

“Lance Sullivan came to see us today. He said the bitch is putting pressure on the police to find you. She wants you charged with Robbie’s murder. I think you should talk to him. Tell him what really happened that night and what’s been happening ever since.”

“Why?” Cassie tilted her head and stared at him.

“He could stop it from happening again. You could save some other kid from living your nightmare.”

“How do you know Lance Sullivan’s name isn’t in that book?” she asked quietly.

Deke felt his heart stop. He hadn’t thought about that. “Do you know if it is?”

Cassie shook her head.

“We’ll wait and see if Zipper can make heads or tails of the list of payouts I found.”

“Maybe you should just let us go,” Cassie suggested. “We’re more trouble than we’re worth.”

Deke brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “You and Peaches aren’t going anywhere. We’ll take care of you.”

“But you don’t even know us.”

“You’re right, I don’t know you, but I do know you belong here with me and my boys,” Deke whispered. “Besides, I can’t let you go now. You’re mine and I won’t let you go.”

Cassie stared at him with steady eyes.

Deke met her gaze straight on. “This club protects its own. I also think you should know the bitch sent three men after you and Peaches. For some reason, she wants you brought back to Boston. I don’t think she plans to turn you over to the cops.”

Cassie shivered. “She doesn’t. She sold me to a man a long time ago and he’s too powerful to let me go. She has to make good on the sale or face his wrath.” Shrugging she said, “I’ve managed to avoid it for eleven years.”

“He still wants you?” Deke frowned.

“Probably not…But she does. She told me that if I didn’t cooperate with the sale, she would make my life a living hell. She knows she can hurt me more by hurting Peaches. She would make me watch while she hurts my friends.”

“Fucking bitch,” Deke seethed.

Suddenly, the silence was shattered by the sound of gunshots echoing in the distance.

Deke ran for the door. He turned and ordered, “You stay here. Do not leave this room.” Then he was gone.