CHAPTER TWO
Deke sent her out of the room and then looked around at the men standing there. “We have to figure out what her connection is to Bane.”
“If there is one,” Raine grumbled. “What if there isn’t a connection?”
“There has to be something,” Sam groused. “Why would he have a wanted poster out on Orrin if there wasn’t something there?”
“How can we figure this out?” Mountain asked. “Orrin is dead, Cordy is dead and the only one who isn’t, can’t remember anything. She has nightmares about a man she claims not to know.”
Deke looked over at his father. “Did Orrin ever say where he came from?” He shifted in his chair. “Cricket told us they lived at Lake Placid for a while before her mother died. I believe she said they were there for a couple of years.
“She was only seven when they came to Maine.” Sam remembered. “She would have been way too young to remember much before then.”
“Wait, she did say something about having to hurry and pack up her stuff before they moved to Lake Placid,” Raine spoke up. “She cried because she left her doll behind and her parents wouldn’t go back for it. That was part of her nightmare.”
“Orrin never offered the info and I never asked,” Sam grumbled as he sat down on the sofa. “He came to Maine and settled down with his girls. He was never one to talk anyway. He was hurting still from his wife’s death. He never did get over that.”
“What kind of man was he?” Iceman wanted to know.
Sam shrugged. “He was a quiet man, like I said but there was just something about the man that made you not want to push him into a corner. He had his secrets as most men do. What he didn’t want to share, he didn’t. He also had a hell of a temper and when he blew, he really blew. I only saw it happen once. Orrin was sitting in the bar nursing a drink when Beaner started picking on him, something about him turning down a woman. It was shortly after they moved to Maine and Orrin hadn’t established himself yet. Orrin told him to let it go, but Beaner wouldn’t. He was pissed up and just kept picking. He’d been trying to get with a girl named Wanda but she wanted nothing to do with Beaner. I think it was desperation that made her choose Orrin over Beaner that night but like I said, he turned her down. That made Beaner nuts and he had just enough drink in him to cause trouble. Beaner could be a pain in the ass when he was drinking. Then Orrin tried to walk away but Beaner wouldn’t let it go and he challenged him, calling him a big pussy. Big mistake, Orrin flipped out and nearly killed him. I think the whole bar was stunned by some of the moves he made. Whoever he was, Orrin creamed Beaner in no time at all. He had fighting skills that went beyond just a normal biker. Beaner ended up in hospital and no one bothered Orrin again. It was frightening to watch. He just plain fucking lost it. He was fast and lethal. I never seen anything like it. None of the rest of us could move fast enough to stop it from happening.”
“What kind of moves did he use?” Mountain asked.
Sam shook his head. “He was doing shit like you see in MMA fighting. Sneaky Green Beret shit. Like I said, those guys hadn’t seen that kind of shit before.” Sam shrugged. “He was so fast no one could even help Beaner out before it was over.”
“What finally stopped him?” Raine asked.
Sam nodded. “Cricket. She came to the door and called out to him. He looked ready to kill that night and all she had to do was call out his name and he stopped. He wiped his bloody hands on his pants and went over to her. She reached out and took his hand and they left together, just like nothing happened.”
The others looked at one another in confusion. “What happened after that?” Mountain asked.
“Orrin never did go back to the bar to drink anymore after that,” Gator replied. “Most of us lived in the trailer park on the compound land back then. We kept to ourselves and that suited us and the town of Bangor. We left them alone and they left us alone. By the next morning, everybody in the park heard about what happened. Everybody wanted to know what went down but no one was curious enough to ask him about it. After that, we’d always see him sitting in a lawn chair in his own front yard with a beer in his hand.”
“Yeah,” Sam snorted. “But Beaner learned a good lesson that night. He never got drunk and mouthed off again. Yeah, Orrin messed him up good. That was three years before he died if I recall.” He hesitated then said, “Orrin never socialized much the whole time he was there. He did his job and went to his shop. He spent most of his free time in his shop and no one was ever allowed to go in there without his invitation. Orrin was very specific about that.” He shook his head. “He told me once there was stuff in his shop that could hurt little kids and he didn’t want anyone to get hurt. He always kept the place locked up tight. Hell, I was President of the club for Christ sake and I knew not to go in his shop without him being right there.”
“What else do you remember about the man?” Deke asked. “I was just a kid when he came to Maine and I didn’t pay that much attention to him or his kids. He was only there a year before I left.”
“He was very good at what he did,” Sam told them quietly. “He could set a charge with such precision he could be standing right next to it and it wouldn’t hurt him but the blast would take out what he wanted destroyed.” Sam snorted. “And the man had hands so gifted, he could crack a safe like no one I’ve ever seen. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Deke glared at his father. “Did you have the need for someone who could set a charge and crack a safe, Bones?”
Sam shrugged. “Hey, it was a different time back then. You did what you had to do to make a name for yourself and if the populace feared you a bit, all the better. We set our own rules and everyone followed them.”
Deke rolled his eyes. “That doesn’t help us right now.”
“There won’t be that much info out there on a man like Bane Jessin,” Gator commented. “But then there wouldn’t be would there? Part of the mystery of the man is no one knows him too well.”
There was a light knock on the door and Zipper stuck his head in. “Boss, we might have a problem.”
Deke groaned and motioned him into the room. “What kind of problem?”
“Do you remember that backtrack program I told you about?”
“Yeah, what about it?” Deke frowned.
“Well, he used it,” Zipper told them with fear in his eyes. “He located us when I printed out the poster on Orrin. He tracked us back when I was trying to find out who was behind the email.”
“So, he knows where we are?” Iceman asked. “Does that mean he’s coming to us?”
Zipper swallowed hard. “I think we can expect a visit from the man himself.”
“Why do you say that?” Deke growled.
Zipper handed him a piece of paper. On it was a simple message. “I’m coming to you.” Below were the initials B.J.
“Fuck a duck!” Deke whispered as he handed the paper off to the others.
Everyone glanced at the paper and passed it along.
“Were you able to locate where the email originated from?” Iceman asked.
Zipper shook his head. “He had it on a rotating system. I had pings from California, then Washington State, then New York, then Texas, hell he could be anywhere.”
No one said a word but they all felt the tension in the room.
Finally, Mountain broke it, “So, we have an assassin on his way here from an undisclosed location for something we know nothing about and can’t figure out because the people involved are all dead. All dead except for one who can’t remember something that happened so long ago when she was a kid barely five years old. Does that about cover it?”
“That’s about it,” Deke muttered.
Mountain ran his fingers through his long, pale hair. “Well, that’s just great. We can’t even get anything ready, because we don’t know how much time we have before he gets here. How the hell do we protect our families? Do we bring them all here or send them underground out there?”
“I don’t know,” Deke admitted. “My wife and kids are here too, man.”
“We all have to settle our shit.” Sam looked angry. “We don’t even know what we’re up against.” He turned back to Zipper. “What did you find on Orrin or Cricket?”
Zipper shook his head. “I didn’t find shit on either of them. According to cyberspace, neither of them exist.”
Sam scowled. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“It means there is nothing about either name out there. Cricket Tannis was never born, not twenty three years ago, not sixty years ago. There is no record of anyone by that name ever being born.” He shook his head. “I tried running the name Cordelia Tannis and got no results either. Neither of the girls are supposed to exist.”
Deke sat up and grabbed the wanted poster for Orrin. He read the paper carefully. Then he looked up at everyone. “There is no last name mentioned on this poster. We missed that fact before. Only his first name is listed.”
“All that tells us is his last name might not be Tannis,” Sam added. “So what the fuck was his last name?”
Everyone was quiet for a moment.
“You don’t think it’s Jessin don’t you?” Raine asked out loud.
Deke felt a wave of dread wash over him. He glanced at Zipper and nodded. “Check it out and let us know what you find.”
Zipper disappeared.
Deke poured a round of whiskey and everyone was quiet as they waited for Zipper to get back.
Tension grew as they waited. They filled their glasses many times. Finally, a knock came.
Deke bid enter and Zipper walked slowly in. He had a single sheet of paper in his hand.
Deke looked up and said one word, “Well?”
“I was only able to find one reference to anyone named Orrin. It could or couldn’t be your man. I was finally able to find a birth certificate for someone named Orrin Jessin. Even that took me some serious hacking to find. It lists his date of birth and his middle name but nothing else.” Zipper laid the paper down on Deke’s desk. “I couldn’t find anything for the girls under either name.”
Deke swung his gaze over at Raine. “Go get her and bring her back here. Maybe she can verify this.”
Raine disappeared and came back with a pale Cricket in tow.
Deke stared hard at her. “What was your dad’s birthday?”
~* * * *~
Cricket looked around at all their faces. She could feel the strain in the room and wondered at its cause. “It was April twentieth.”
“What was his middle name?” Deke wanted to know.
Cricket shrugged. “I don’t know if he had one. If he did, I never heard it.”
Deke closed his eyes and growled as he sat back in his chair. “That doesn’t help.”
Raine broke the silence, “Did you ever have a different last name?”
Cricket frowned and shook her head. “Why would you ask that? Our last name has always been Tannis.”
Deke surged to his feet and glared at her. “No it wasn’t. There is no record of your father at all. You and your sister don’t exist. Just who the fuck are you?”
Cricket backed up and took a step or two back. His anger seemed to reach out and its flame was hot. She swallowed heavily as his words finally soaked into her brain. “What do you mean we don’t exist?”
“Zipper can’t find even a birth certificate listed anywhere for you and your sister,” Deke explained. “He can’t find any record of your father either. He did find a birth certificate but the information on it doesn’t match with what you just told us.”
“Maybe he missed something,” she offered as she began to tremble.
“Zipper doesn’t miss!” Deke all but shouted at her. “He’s the best there is and he couldn’t find anything. You shouldn’t be standing here. Cordy shouldn’t be dead because she never lived at all.”
Deke’s words hit her with more power than a whip. Cricket felt each and every one strike her body like a heavy blow. She crumbled to her knees then bent over under them. She felt like she couldn’t breathe.
Raine rushed over to her and helped her to her feet. He glared at Deke as he helped her over to the sofa. Sitting down beside her, he hauled her over his legs and wrapped his arms around her as she sat on his lap.
Sam reached out and grabbed Deke’s arm. When Deke glared at his dad, Sam shook his head. Sam then walked over to where Cricket was sitting and reached out to take her hand.
Cricket sobbed quietly as she laid in Raine’s arms. At his touch, she pulled back.
Sam looked at Raine and found the other man glaring at him.
“I think she’s had enough for now, don’t you?” Raine growled.
“We got trouble coming,” Sam insisted. “We don’t know who or how bad. We need what she knows before it gets here and we have no idea how close it is.” He gazed at Cricket. “Is there anything you can remember that upset your dad before you guys came to Maine?”
Cricket felt numb. Her mind wanted to shut down but her thoughts wouldn’t let it. Her mind flashed back to that day when the man with the scary eyes came to visit. Her father had become very upset and the two men screamed at each other. She couldn’t remember the words but she did remember the feeling of hatred in the air between them. She shivered. Looking at Sam, she whispered, “The only time I can remember was the day the stranger came. He and my father screamed at each other.”
“What happened?’ Sam asked then looked over at Deke.
“I don’t remember.” She cried. “I was four years old, maybe five. After the man left, we packed up and moved again. I forgot my doll when we left but we couldn’t go back to get it.” She felt Raine’s arms tighten around her and she turned her head to his chest and sobbed.
“That’s enough,” Raine grumbled. “She can’t take anymore.”
“One more question, darlin,” Sam assured her. “What did this man look like?”
Cricket began to shake. “I don’t remember,” she whispered. “All I can remember was he had black eyes. Black eyes that had no emotion in them at all.”
Sam got to his feet and went over by Deke. “That doesn’t help us at all. If I remember correctly, there are no known photos of Bane at all. No one knows what the hell he looks like.”
Deke shook his head and turned to stare at the woman in Raine’s arms. “I don’t think that’s true. I think she knows. I think she’s seen him. In fact, she might be the only person alive that knows him.”
“So how the hell do we protect our families?” Iceman griped. Pouring himself another shot, he slammed it down. “How do we protect the club if Jessin is on his way here?”
Deke turned to him and shrugged. “I suggest all we can do is wait and see if he shows up and if he does, find out what he wants. He may just be looking for information on Orrin. Why is anyone’s guess but we can’t protect ourselves if we don’t know what the man wants here.”
“Just the thought of him coming here makes my skin crawl,” Iceman admitted. “I thought Peaches’ family was bad but this is so much worse. Her family usually has a reason to go after someone, from what I heard about Bane he doesn’t need a reason to hunt someone down and kill them.”
Deke glared at the other man and shook his head but the damage had already been done.
Cricket shivered and wiped her tears away, then took a deep breath. She got to her feet and when she was able to stand, she turned to Deke. “Can I go back to work now?”
Deke nodded. “Just don’t leave the clubhouse. We may need you again.”
They all watched as she made her way to the door. She fumbled with getting it open and no one said a word as she left the room.
~* * * *~
After she left, Raine got to his feet and went over to Deke’s desk. Pouring himself a shot, he slammed it down. Then he glared at Deke. “Well, that was fun.”
Deke shrugged. “I have to protect this club. I don’t care how or who it hurts. The club comes first. Our families come before some girl we don’t even know.”
Raine made a move as if he were going after Deke when Sam stepped between them. “We don’t need this right now. Behave yourself Raine. He did what he had to do and you know it.”
Raine tightened his lips. “I know, Bones. But it shattered her.”
Deke shrugged. “I have to protect my family and right now, she isn’t family. Like I said before, our families live here. I need to know if a threat is coming and it sounds like a very real threat is on its way. I’m sorry if her feelings got hurt, but a man like Bane Jessin is dangerous and we don’t want him knowing where we live.”
“I know okay.” Raine growled. “I’m almost sorry I brought it up this morning.”
Deke grabbed his arm. “Don’t be sorry. Something like this needs to be brought out. Lives could be at stake here and we needed to know. But now comes the hard part, the waiting game. We can’t move forward because we don’t know what, or who could be coming and we don’t know when.”
Raine nodded and gulped down a shot of Black Velvet. It was too early in the day to start drinking the hard stuff but everyone’s nerves were becoming frayed.
The rest of that day came and went and everyone could feel the tension building. Tempers got shorter the longer the day went on. Every one of the men who’d been in Deke’s office that morning watched Cricket closely throughout the day.
~* * * *~
The next morning, the anxiety at the compound increased. Everyone could feel it but they didn’t know why it was there.
Deke, Sam, Iceman, Gator and Raine were back in Deke’s office when a knock at the door alerted them.
When Deke called out the door opened and Wiley popped his head in. “Boss, there is someone at the front gate. He wants a parley with you.”
Deke glanced at the others then back at Wiley. “Let him in.” He straightened to his full six foot four inches and walked out into the main room. He took his place behind the main table. The others joined him.
Raine looked to the kitchen and found Cricket stacking cups on a tray for later use. He could see tracks of her tears still on her face and as he watched, he could see her hands still trembled. She hadn’t said a word last night. She laid in his arms and cried. Neither of them could sleep but she refused to talk either.
Then he turned and watched as the front door opened and a man walked inside.
He was tall and had dark hair. His hair was sprinkled liberally with white strands and he was an older man. His face was still youthful, although signs of age were beginning to tell. He was slim and well dressed. His suit was high quality and his shoes gleamed as they covered the ground and came to stop at the main table. He didn’t say a word but his dark eyes took in everything. He stared at the tiger murals for a couple of minutes and his lip twitched as if he might even smile, thought the smile never showed. His cold gaze finally swung down to Deke.
“Can I help you?’ Deke asked. “My name is Deke Tory and I’m President of this club.”
“I’m here to ask you about a man named Orrin.”
Then the silence in the clubhouse was shattered by the sound of a tray dropping with crockery hitting the floor and breaking into pieces.
Everyone turned to see what happened. Even the stranger turned to look.
They all saw Cricket standing there with shock on her face. She paled as she stared at the stranger.
When the stranger turned to look, he gasped at the sight of her and whispered, “Grace?” Then he closed his eyes.
Cricket cried out and ran for the back door. The sunlight flooded the room for a moment before the door slammed closed again.
“What was that all about?’ the stranger asked as he turned back to Deke. He acted like the glimpse he had of his past had no meaning for him.
Deke shrugged and looked over at Raine. He motioned for the man to go after her, then turned his attention back to the stranger. “I have no idea.” He motioned for the man to sit and when he did, Deke sat opposite him.
“As I said, someone here clicked on a wanted poster of a man named Orrin and I came to find out why.”
“And you would be who?” Deke asked.
“Someone you don’t want to know,” the man replied. “I’m just here after information.”
Deke’s eyes narrowed as he thought about what to say. He had a feeling his position was very precarious at the moment.
The stranger sat back in his chair and asked, “Who was that woman?”
“Why do you ask?”
The stranger shrugged. “I usually don’t get that response until they know me better.” His eyes narrowed as he stared at Deke. “What is her name?”
Before he could answer, the back door opened and Raine dragged Cricket back inside. She looked ready to bolt again, but he held her hand. He brought her over to the main table and stood behind her.
Cricket stared at the floor. She was trembling and her knees barely held her up. When the stranger pushed a chair out for her to sit on, she glanced quickly at Deke. When he nodded slightly, she sank down into the chair.
The stranger leaned forward and grasped her chin, lifting it to look at her face.
Cricket stared at the man’s face as he stared at hers. When she saw his eyes, she found she couldn’t look away.
His fingers tightened on her jaw and he clenched his own.
Her eyes slowly closed and her lips trembled as she whispered his name, “Bane.”