CHAPTER FOUR
Later that same morning, Roman came to the door of the bedroom and stared at the pair of them again. They were both sleeping now. Stevie was on her side with Benny in front of her. He walked quietly to the closet and grabbed an extra blanket. Unfolding it, he laid it over them both and went back out to the living room where he checked his phone for what seemed like the millionth time since Yuri and the others left.
Roman recognized the signs of abuse. He had those same signs in his behavior, although no one abused him anymore and hadn’t since he joined up with the others. Maybe that was why he felt connected to Benny so quickly. Usually, he never got that close to anyone else so fast but Benny reminded him of himself.
He folded his hands into a steeple and pressed it against his lips. He tried to close his mind off from the past but found he couldn’t. Unwanted memories clouded his mind and he could barely stand the pain.
So lost was he in the past that he missed Benny when he came out and joined him.
Benny could see his torment and he just sat there and watched Roman as he struggled with unwelcome memories.
Finally, Roman looked up and was stunned to see the boy sitting there. He shifted in his seat and barked, “What are you doing here?”
Benny shrugged. “I woke up and wanted something to drink.” He paused as if to say something else but didn’t. Instead, he looked away.
Roman got to his feet and went into the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, he spoke, “I have juice, water, sweet tea, or milk.”
Benny came in and sat down at the counter. “Do you have any unsweetened tea?”
Roman raised his eye brow. “No but I can probably make some.”
“Naw, that’s ok. I can just have water,” Benny assured him. He looked expectantly at Roman but didn’t say anything.
“What?” Roman asked. “If you have something to say just say it.”
“Stevie likes unsweetened tea too,” Benny told him softly.
Roman clapped his hands together. “Well then, I guess I’ll have to make some for the two of you.”
Benny smiled shyly.
Roman leaned over the counter top and looked him right in the eye. “So when did your sister lose her hearing?” he asked the boy softly.
Benny paled and slipped off his stool, taking a step or two back. He tried to look away but found he couldn’t. Then he hung his head. Turning around, he walked back into the living room and sat down in the corner. Wrapping his arms around his legs, he just sat there for a long time.
Roman followed him and sat down on the sofa facing the young boy. He waited for the longest time before the boy began to speak.
“It was the first time they dragged me back to Mrs. Harris’s house. They dragged Stevie back too. She refused to leave my side. Caulder ripped us apart and she swung at him. He swung back and smacked her upside the head. She hit her head on the floor hard when she went down. Then Caulder kicked her in the head too. It was hard enough to rupture her ear drum. She probably would have been ok if it hadn’t taken her days to get medical attention. Caulder locked her up for the next five days with no food and very little water. Her ear wound got infected and without antibiotics the infection got bad.” He shrugged. “By the time they took her to the hospital, it was too late. She lost her hearing in her left ear and some in her right ear. Caulder told her to get ready to move to his place almost before she even got rid of her fever. The dumb ass didn’t think she would run as sick as she was but she did. That was four years ago and he’s been looking for her ever since.”
“So what happened last night that made you guys run?” Roman asked.
Benny lifted a pale face to his. “To get Frankie away from Stevie, I shot him,” he whispered. “I had t-to—he was going to kill her.”
Roman knelt on the floor beside the trembling boy. Laying his hands on Benny’s shoulders, he told him, “I would have done the same thing to protect someone I loved too.”
Benny had tears rolling down his face. “You would? Really?”
Roman grinned. “I really would.” He paused then asked, “Did you kill him?”
Benny shook his head. “I don’t think so. He was down but I think he was still alive. I didn’t check. I just grabbed Stevie and we ran.” Forlorn, he wiped his nose with the edge of his hand. “Stevie had some friends and they said they would get him some help as soon as we got away.”
“So you don’t know if he’s still alive or not?”
Benny glared as rage showed in his eyes. “I hope he’s dead. It’s nothing less than he deserves and more than I can hope for.”
Yuri sat back in his chair and picked up his pen. Several hours earlier, he’d put several calls in place and set his IT guy, Adrik trolling the internet for news of the Kings Crew, Mrs. Harris and the Briggs brothers. He also called Pappy with the Hell’s Fire Riders MC to give him a heads up about the Advocates and Caulder’s plans for the city.
Pappy thanked him for the heads up and said he would check with Trudy about verifying the rest of it.
Yuri only hoped they could come up with something to help. He hated the fact that these two kids were up against animals like this. No kid deserved a childhood like that. When his phone rang a few minutes later, Yuri reached over and grabbed the receiver without thinking.
“You need to check on Frankie Briggs,” his brother, Roman told him.
“What?” Yuri frowned. “Why, what do you know that I don’t?”
“Benny shot him last night.”
“What the fuck?” Yuri sat up in his chair. “Why would he do something as stupid as that?”
“Because the bastard was beating his sister and wouldn’t have stopped.”
When Yuri didn’t say anything more Roman asked, “What else did you find out?”
“Not much yet. I’m waiting on return phone calls.” Yuri rubbed his eyes in frustration. “I put a call into to Pappy. I thought he could contact the MC in Baton Rouge and see how things were standing.”
“That’s a good idea,” Roman agreed.
“I also put a call in to Nikoli.” Yuri dropped the bombshell.
“Why Nikoli?”
“We may not have a presence in Baton Rouge but if trouble spills over to New Orleans, Nikoli needs to know it’s coming,” Yuri reasoned. “I’m waiting to hear back before I notify the other factions. They too, have a right to know.”
Roman sighed heavily over the phone. “I agree.” He hesitated then added, “I got a call just before I called you. My patrol boats found a houseboat abandoned on the river this afternoon. They boarded it and found a body. Whoever this guy was in life, he didn’t end well. He was beaten to death. When they searched the boat they found an empty hold but they did find traces of something else.”
“And what is that something else? Do I even want to know?” Yuri asked.
“Probably not, but I’ll tell you anyway. It was black tar heroin.”
“Shit,” Yuri swore. “Do we know where the boat came from?”
“I have a feeling it came down from Baton Rouge.”
“How do you figure that?”
Roman exhaled heavily. “I was talking to Benny today. He said they got to the river and one of Stevie’s friends gave them a ride this far. When he woke up this morning, the sun wasn’t quite up yet but Stevie had been knocked out. They were in a row boat tied up to the bank and he didn’t know if she was alive or dead. He said when he woke up he’d never been so scared in his life. When she came to a few minutes later, they made their way into my shop.”
“Did you ask them who this guy was?”
“No he never said the guy’s name but I can always ask Stevie.”
Yuri looked up as the door to his office opened and Nikoli walked in. “I’ll get back to you. Nikoli just walked in.”
Yuri hung up the call and viewed his boss for a moment.
Nikoli leaned against the door and stared at him for a moment before he asked, “Do you have any more information for me?”
Yuri shrugged. “I called Pappy and he’s going to check out the story and check with the MC over in Baton Rouge.” He nodded at the phone. “Roman just called. His patrol found an abandoned house boat this afternoon. The runner was dead but his guys found traces of black tar heroin in the hold. The shipment had already been delivered.”
“Do they know who this guy was or where the boat came from?” Nikoli frowned.
“Roman thinks it came down from Baton Rouge. Benny and Stevie came down by river. They arrived just before dawn.”
“Is that their names?” Nikoli asked. “I thought there was a boy and a girl?”
“Stevie is a young woman. Benny is a twelve year old kid.”
“And where are they now?”
Yuri got to his feet. “They are at Roman’s under guard.”
Nikoli sat down and watched as Yuri poured them both a drink. Handing Nikoli a glass, the older man continued to observe and waited for Yuri to say whatever was on his mind.
“I got a phone call very early this morning from a woman I didn’t know. That woman we found out later was Stevie and she called to tell me Roman was hurt and needed some help. We had no idea what we were walking into or how bad Roman was injured but when we got here, we found him knocked out on the floor. We found them a few minutes later.” He paused to take a sip of his drink. “Stevie was passed out by then. Before we could get to her, little Benny pulled a gun on us. He made sure we knew he would shoot us if we hurt her.”
“What happened to her?” Nikoli asked quietly.
“Some bastard in Baton Rouge pulled her arm out of joint and bruised a couple of ribs and her jaw. Sazon said she will recover.”
“What is this bastard’s name?”
Yuri could see the white of Nikoli’s knuckles. “Don’t worry, Benny got him back with a bullet. I’m waiting to hear whether he’s alive or not.”
“How did you get the information you did? Was it from these two kids?”
Yuri nodded. “Da and I’ve been doing some checking around and so far, everything they said is true. I’ve got Adrik double checking the information we have.”
Nikoli ran his fingers through his hair and sighed deeply. “Bylat,” he swore in Russian. “Well, this is a mess isn’t it?”
“Da, you could say that,” Yuri agreed.
“I’ve spoken to Demi and Travern in New York. They agree with us, we do not want the Mexican cartel running guns and dope through our city for places north. And I think you know Sergi’s stand on the matter.”
Yuri nodded. “He doesn’t want any part of the drug trade. That’s why the Ukraines have control of it. I can’t say I disagree with this. I don’t like the drug trade, never did, never will.”
“That’s one reason I had to bring them in on this matter. I wanted no misunderstandings about our role. Demi and Travern understood.”
“Nyet. Good, drugs are a dirty business. Guns are even worse.”
“Soglasen…I agree.” Nikoli shrugged. “But there is a viable market for those things.”
“True enough and most people don’t mind the pay that comes with it but I’m glad Sergi has other interests.”
“I hate the fact that people are selling that poison to children.” Nikoli glared.
“Speaking of deti… um children, there is another problem in Baton Rouge.” Yuri sat down in his chair and viewed Nikoli for a moment. “Seems the foster system has been broken there.”
“What do you mean?”
“There is a foster woman there using the young girls and I say that with gritted teeth, she’s using girls as young as fourteen as prostitutes. Her old man covers for her and together, they make a great deal of money on the side. If the girls don’t cooperate, they use younger siblings against them. It’s a no win situation and the girls are caught in the middle.”
“Bylat,” Nikoli swore. After a moment he asked, “Was it proven that the leader of the Kings was murdered last night?”
Yuri nodded. “Right now, he’s only missing. His body hasn’t been discovered yet. Pappy told the MC to look for him on their land but they haven’t discovered him yet. Caulder Briggs needs the gun he murdered him with in order to place the blame on the MC and start his street war.”
“And where is this gun?”
“It’s in my safe. Young Benny still had it when we met.” Yuri took a drink then informed him, “It’s also the gun Frankie was shot with and the gun he held on us this morning.”
“Bay! This kid is a busy one isn’t he?” Nikoli almost smiled.
Yuri shrugged. “He was protecting his sister.”
“Admirable.”
“So what do we do? How do we stop this war from happening and still protect our own city from any backlash?”
“That, my friend, is a very good question. One I don’t have an answer for right now.” Nikoli finished his drink. “Perhaps I should meet these deti.”
Yuri stood and led the way to his vehicle to introduce Nikoli to the children. Although the young woman was no child. He paused for a moment as they headed down in the elevator. He wondered how Roman felt about having a woman at his house and a child. Strange, probably.
Roman heard the beep of his security system and glanced out the window to check his gate. When he saw Yuri’s car sitting there, he hit the open button and waited until the car stopped at his front door.
Then he saw Nikoli get out of the car and walk to his front door.
Roman closed his eyes. The head of the Bratva. He knew this would come sooner or later. He took a deep breath before he opened the door to greet him.
Holding out his hand, Nikoli took it and greeted him, “Zdrah-stvooy, Roman. Well, this is a shit storm waiting to happen isn’t it?”
Roman shrugged. “It is what it is.”
“But how the hell do we stop this from happening?” Nikoli asked.
“There might be one way,” a soft voice said from behind him.
Roman turned and stared at the small figure leaning against the wall. She was draped in a blanket from the bed that covered her from head to toe. Her bare feet were sticking out from under the blanket and he could see one small hand holding the blanket around her shoulders. Her short black hair was sticking out in every direction and for the first time, he could see her brilliant green eyes. She had an elfin face that was marred by bruises and was a bit swollen from Frankie’s heavy hands, so Roman couldn’t really see it well but he liked what he could see right now.
What he didn’t like was the haunted look in her eyes. He wished that haunted look wasn’t there but he understood why it was. When the blanket slipped from one shoulder and dipped low on her arm, he could see the creamy skin of her shoulder and the top of an abundant breast. “Should you be up yet?” Roman asked softly.
Before she could speak, Benny came up behind her then reached out and drew the blanket back up around her shoulder. Then Benny stood straighter and faced the three men head to head. “Me and Stevie have been talking. Baton Rouge holds nothing but nightmares for us and a lot of other people that have been abused by the system that is now in place but we can change all that if we try.” He looked down at the floor for a moment then raised his head again. His eyes narrowed as he didn’t look away from Roman’s gaze. “I would have turned my back on everything we left behind, just walked away and never looked back but Stevie told me we couldn’t do that. We had to protect the people who lived there because not everyone was as slimy as Caulder and his brothers or as wicked as Mrs. Harris and her crew. She said there were good people living in the city and we have to protect those people.” He shrugged. “She said she’s met some pretty awesome people living on the streets in the last four years. She said it’s those people we have to look out for.”
The men in the room listened and waited for the kid to finish.
Benny crossed his arms over his small chest and glared at Roman then switched over to Yuri. “You asked us to trust you this morning and now we need to know if you trust us?”
“Yes, I trust you,” Roman answered the question.
Stevie reached out and grabbed Benny’s hand. Grasping it, his arm came around her shoulders and he helped her get to the sofa.
When Roman would have rushed forward, Yuri grabbed his shirt from behind to stop him.
When she was sitting there and the blanket wrapped completely around, her she stared at the three men opposite her.
All were sitting there waiting for her to speak.
“The Kings Crew may be a lot of things, some good, some bad but they are a strong force in Baton Rouge. They kept their people in line and didn’t let the other gangs get unruly. Banger was a good leader but Caulder wouldn’t be. Caulder wanted his own army at his beck and call and wouldn’t be above using force and intimidation to get what he wanted.”
“And what is that?” Yuri asked.
Stevie stared at his face as he spoke. “Caulder wants complete control of the Kings to start building his own empire of corruption and greed.”
“How do you know this?” Nikoli asked.
Stevie shrugged. “Every city has people living on the streets. Most people ignore them or walk over top of them. They’re considered an eyesore and people go out of their way to not notice they are even there. But being part of that culture has taught me a lot in the last four years.”
“Such as?” Yuri frowned.
“Street people know what’s going on from the moment it happens and they’re like a subculture all their own.”
“And this helps us how?” Nikoli raised a brow.
“I have a friend living on the streets. I’ve known him for four years. He found me the second night I was out there. I was very sick from a bad infection. I should’ve still been in the hospital being treated but I was out on the streets, trying to hide from a man that would have used me for his own gain. Silas took me in and taught me what he knew about staying safe. He introduced me to his friends and in the end, he became my savior.” She looked down for a moment then raised her head again. “These people help one another out when they need it, they also go out of their way to protect each other. They are an underground pipeline and would do anything to keep their city safe and free of the scum like Caulder Briggs.”
The men all stared at her.
“Caulder has plans to use the street gang to run his guns and drugs, not only through the city but to points east and west using highway 10. He’s been working in secret to set up a distribution route using other gangs as couriers for his product. He’s already made contact with a cartel member, although I don’t think he has met the main man yet. But before he can do all that, he has to get the Kings under his control. He’s been working on Banger for over a year now but Banger didn’t want that poison in his city and he’d turned him down more than once.” She glanced over at her brother. “What Benny saw the other night was his final attempt at persuading Banger to go along with his plan. When Banger turned him down again, Caulder lost his mind and killed him.”
The silence in the room stretched on.
She raised her head and stared at Yuri. “Caulder always had a plan. If he couldn’t get Banger to agree with the plan, he had murder in his mind for Banger. He plans to drag Banger’s body over to the Advocates land and put the blame on them. He doesn’t want a bunch of ex-military men fouling up his plans.”
“Your brother told us some of this hours ago,” Yuri informed her.
Stevie nodded. “I know but what he didn’t tell you was Caulder’s plan B.”
“Plan B?” Nikoli frowned. “Why would he have a plan B?”
“Caulder always has a plan B.” She smirked.
“Do you know what he has planned?” Yuri asked.
Stevie nodded. “You need some of the Harris house history before you can understand Caulder’s plan B. Ten years ago, Mrs. Harris met her now husband, Eugene Harris. She was a mean woman then and even worse now, but back then, she couldn’t do much. She was just a citizen of the city and had to follow the laws just like everyone else. After she met Eugene, she used all her wiles to trap him into a marriage, I’m not sure he really wanted. I was already living in her house at the time and I hated it. Mostly, I just hated her but that’s another story.” Then Stevie dropped her bomb as she continued, “She was a miserable woman then and it only got worse after she married Eugene. What not many people remember is that her name before she married Harris was Briggs and the Briggs brothers are her sons from her first marriage.”
“Now this could be interesting,” Nikoli commented under his breath.
“Despite being a nasty character through and through, Mrs. Harris always kept meticulous records. She kept track of every penny she had and used for the children in her care. No one ever knew where she kept her account books or the money she skimmed off the top, not even her sons or they would have taken all she had a long time ago. Over the years, she’d managed to put aside a lot of the money she should have used for the kid’s wellbeing. After she married Eugene, she used what he knew about the bigwigs of the city to blackmail them into doing what she wanted. She no longer had to worry about not having enough. Over the next five years, she did what she wanted and if someone tried to stop her, she ruined their lives completely. Her enemies were left with nothing by the time she got done with them. With her husband as the Mayor’s right hand, she ran that city, not the Mayor.”
Nikoli nodded as if he knew some of what she was saying.
“Anyway about four years ago, she told me I could either work the streets like the other girls she was in charge of or she would sell me to Caulder to start his own line of girls. When I refused, Caulder gave her a dollar and she told me I no longer had a home with her.” Stevie took a deep breath and grabbing her brother’s hand she finished her story, “That night, me and Benny escaped. We got away before they had a chance to take me away. You see, we’d been planning our escape for some time. But before I left her house, I took something from the old witch. I took her books and most of her money. I hid it somewhere in the city and even when they dragged me back or grabbed Benny, I never would tell her where I hid her stuff.”
“How did she take that?” Yuri asked with a slight smile on his face.
“Not very well at all,” Stevie admitted. “Not very well at all. She knew if those books ever got out she would lose everything she had and she and her sons would all go to jail for a very long time. When I escaped the second time, I couldn’t get Benny out of the house and she’s held him hostage since then.”
Benny cleared his throat and took up the story, “Mrs. Harris was getting desperate lately. She’d been looking for her books for so long, she didn’t think she had any chance of getting them back. Caulder promised her that he would find Stevie and get her to give back what she took and he wasn’t coming through for her, so she took matters into her own hands. She found a way to hurt Stevie and she knew Stevie would come out of hiding if there was a way to save me.”
“What did she do?” Roman dared to ask.
Benny hung his head. “She got the word out that she was going to sell me to a pedophile she knew. She said he was an older man who liked to break young boys and while I was older than he normally took on, she was sure she could get him to take me. The old bitch even showed me the agreement she had this old guy sign. She said this man would teach me proper manners.”
“What was this man’s name?” Nikoli asked.
“I only heard his first name, Rosco,” Benny replied.
Roman stiffened and turned his head slowly to glare at Benny. “Rosco Pavel.”
Benny shrugged. “It could have been. I really didn’t hear his last name.”
Roman surged to his feet, stomped down the hall to his bedroom and slammed the door behind him.
Nikoli stared for a moment then turned to Yuri. “What was that all about?”
Yuri shrugged. “I’m not sure.” He turned to Stevie. “Do you still have her books?”
Stevie nodded.
“And Caulder’s plan B? Do you know what that is?” Nikoli asked.
“Caulder has been working to build up his own army of followers. He has several sleeper followers in positions all over the city. They are in position to hold the city hostage if Caulder commands it. If Banger wouldn’t work with him, Caulder planned to do just that, hold the city hostage. He plans to wipe out whatever Kings Crew that won’t follow him and take over the streets. He would bring chaos and death into the hearts of the people who live there. Anyone who opposed him would be shot as a show of dominance and the cops wouldn’t be able to interfere because his mother had them under her thumb. The only problem was his mother no longer had the evidence he needed to be able to hold up his end. If anyone knew the evidence wasn’t there, Mrs. Harris has no hold over them anymore. She knows this, but no one else does. The Briggs brothers have been searching the entire city for the books and the evidence needed but they weren’t able to find it.”
“Is it still safe?” Nikoli asked.
Stevie nodded.
“So how can this information keep the city safe?” Yuri asked. “Caulder still has the city under his control and he plans to break the city wide open with violence.”
“Because with the evidence I have we can take back the city, don’t you see?” Stevie grew agitated.
“How can you do that?” Nikoli frowned.
“We need to bring in the state police to stop the blackmail and take the control back. Then we need to take the city streets back.”
“And just how do we do that? If Caulder has his people all over town, how do we stop an army we can’t see?” Nikoli questioned.
“You may not know who they are but we do. The street people are always watching over the city and they know everything that happens. Caulder only thinks he has his finger on the pulse of the city. He doesn’t know shit about the streets.”
Yuri’s phone pinged and when he checked the message he received, he glanced over at Nikoli. “We have company from Baton Rouge.”
Stevie was watching Yuri closely then turned to glance at Benny. Benny looked pale and she watched as he slid from the arm of the sofa to sit on the cushion next to her. Stevie poked her arm out of the blanket to wrap it around her brother. Turning to Yuri she asked, “Who is here?”
“Apparently, when Pappy called the local MC to let them know about the situation, their President wanted more information about it. Both he and Pappy showed up at the hotel about twenty minutes ago for a discussion.”