Chapter Two
“Well, that was interesting,” Dylan said to Finn as they studied Skye, her petite form now stretched out on the sofa. “Good catch. Sure didn’t see that coming.”
“Woman knows what she wants, that’s for sure.” Finn shook his head. “There’s a hell of a backstory there.”
“We’ll get it when she wakes up.” Dylan glanced at Jessie, now seated beside the recovering woman, dabbing at her forehead with a damp cloth. “Got to be a reason behind this. She doesn’t look like the sort to suddenly up and decide to kill a man without cause.”
“Who’s Pat?” Jessie asked.
“We helped her parents a few years ago. She had our card, and she gave it to Skye. She wouldn’t do that if she didn’t believe we could help in some way.” He looked upward. “Trey, give me a biography of Skye Harris and whatever you have on the drug issues in Whispering Willows. I need it in an hour.”
Finn didn’t bother looking at the tiny surveillance camera set in the upper corner of the room. Trey Pierce, their local tech genius, was on the job. The man had mad skills when it came to computers, and he’d get the data through his sources, legal and otherwise.
Finn’s attention flashed back to the woman stretched out on the sofa. Her eyes fluttered open, and she slowly lifted her right hand to the wet cloth covering her forehead.
“Take it easy,” Jessie said. “You gave us a bit of a scare.”
Skye blinked rapidly for a few seconds as her eyes focused on the two men hovering nearby. She turned her head and stared at Jessie.
“What happened?” she asked.
“You fainted.” Jessie patted her arm. “We brought you over to the couch here. You were swaying and couldn’t walk. When was the last time you ate?”
Skye’s forehead furrowed with thought. “I went to the hospital this morning and…”
“I thought so.” Jessie looked at Dylan. “Get the kitchen to send up a burger and fries. Make it a double order. I could use some food myself.”
Dylan grunted in response and picked up the phone.
“I’m sorry.” Skye sighed. “I have to go, I have to get back…” Her voice trailed off again as she closed her eyes.
“You’re not going anywhere until you eat.” Jessie wiped her forehead again with the damp cloth. “You’re no good to anyone in this condition.” Her tone left no room for discussion.
Finn hovered over her. “If you don’t mind me asking, why are you so fixed on killing this man?” He shook his head. “I can understand you’re upset about them dealing drugs in your hometown, but there’s a hell of a difference between sending them to jail and killing the gang leader.”
She opened her eyes and forced herself up into a sitting position, aided by Jessie. “Because my brother decided to be stupid and work for those monsters. He’s in a hospital room right now, fighting for his life, trying to flush the drugs out of his system. I want the Wolf dead for that.”
Finn’s mouth went dry. This wasn’t a general call to save her town. This was vengeance aimed at one man.
He understood that urge, that desperate hole inside a person’s soul crying out to be filled with blood.
Someone else’s blood.
“Your brother?” He managed to force the words out.
“Yes.” Skye swallowed hard. “He’s all I have. He graduated Las Vegas University last year. He’s been sending his resume out and working odd jobs on the side, waiting for an offer.” She scrubbed her face with both palms. “Once he found a good job, we would have been out of the red and we’d have been fine. Maybe I’d even have enough breathing room to go back to college, finish my business degree.”
Dylan glanced at the camera, most likely adding the news onto Trey’s plate.
“Then out of the blue, he tells me he’s picked up a temp job driving a car from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, so he’s going to be out of town for a few days. All I can do is tell him to be careful, and he gives me that smile before he leaves.” She made a choking sound, tearing at Finn’s heart.
“I wasn’t worried when I didn’t hear from him for a day, then two. Figured he’s busy trying to hustle a ride back, maybe looking for some local work. Then a week ago, I got a phone call from the hospital. Someone found Robby behind a dumpster at the edge of town, beaten up, with a damned needle in his arm. Thank God he still had his wallet on him—I’m listed as his emergency contact. By the time I got to the hospital, they’d diagnosed a heroin overdose and started treatment. The cop who took the report looked me straight in the face and told me he must have gotten into a fight with another junkie and shot up right after.”
She stared at Dylan. “I don’t buy it for a second. He’s not a drug addict. He’s never even smoked a joint. I’ve overheard people talking about the Wolf’s Teeth, about how they’re the ones responsible for the heroin problem in town. I did some research, put two and two together, and realized Robby had gotten a job all right—he’d ended up working for them as a mule, driving a car filled with their damned drugs.” She paused to catch her breath. “He’d gone someplace to pick the heroin up and bring it back to Whispering Willows so those monsters could sell that poison. What he told me was a half lie, just enough to keep me out of the way.”
Finn clenched his teeth so tightly he thought for a second a crown was going to pop off.
“I thought about confronting them, but I’m not suicidal. So, I went to the police and gave them what I knew, told them what I thought.” She let out an annoyed snort. “Local cops didn’t even bother to bring in Smith for questioning. Said there was no way to connect them to the crime, told me Robby lied to me about everything and was just a drug user trying to hide his habit.” The cutting sarcasm in her voice left no doubt what she believed.
“How is he?” Dylan asked.
“Robby’s in a coma. Doctor told me he’d taken a dose of almost pure heroin.” She rubbed her forehead again. “Should have killed him, but Robby’s a tough man. Takes after our father. After they settled him in ICU, I went home and tore his room apart looking for clues. There was a notebook listing our debts.” Her face went red. “We’re in pretty deep, between his student loans and basic, plain living. Robby had a plan set up for who to pay off first and so forth, based on running drugs for the gang. Within the year, he’d have had everything paid off and a little extra on the side. In theory.” She sighed. “Robby was always a bit of a dreamer.”
“Something went wrong with the job. He did or didn’t do something, got in trouble with the gang, and they decided to get rid of him,” Dylan said in a low voice. “He couldn’t just disappear; it’ll start people poking around and asking questions. So, they beat him up, stuck a needle in his arm to finish the job, and dropped him somewhere, hoping he’ll die.”
“Except he didn’t,” Finn added. “Hospital did their best, saved him from an overdose. But the gang has the car now, and the drugs, which will be going straight to the street.”
Skye continued. “The doctors tell me Robby might wake up, he might not. He’s stabilized, but that’s all they can do for now. No one can pin anything on the gang—from what I got from the cops, they’ve got most of the local businesses terrified into silence, collecting protection money on the side while they distribute their drugs throughout the town.”
“Most gangs don’t specialize in one vice,” Dylan said. “They spread out into other areas—prostitution, gambling, and so forth. They may not need the money, but they need the power, the leverage to make people say and do what they want.”
Skye shook her head. “I’ve told hospital security I’m worried the gang will come at Robby. They shrugged and told me they’d deal with it if something happens.” She swallowed hard. “When he wakes up, he’ll be able to testify against Smith and the others, and that makes him a target. I don’t think for a second the security guards will be able to keep him safe if the bikers make a run at him.” She drew a deep breath. “I’m very aware my next visit to the hospital could be to collect his body for burial.” She stared at Finn, the cold blue flames in her eyes calling out for revenge. “That’s why I need your help. To keep him safe, and to push the Wolf’s Teeth out of the area, put them out of business. I won’t let them destroy anyone else.” Skye stood up, startling them all. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come here. This isn’t any of your concern. I’ll find some other way to deal with this.”
She grabbed her purse off the floor and turned toward the door.
Finn stepped in front of the exit, stopping her. “If you think you’re going to walk out of here after telling us all that, you’re sorely mistaken.”
Skye glared at him. “You can’t hold me here.”
He fought back the urge to smile, impressed at her determination.
She’d come into the Playground a quiet, wilted flower, and now here she was trying to stare him down and push her way out of Dylan’s office.
A voice came from behind her. “We’re not going to kill Smith for you. It goes against everything we do, everything we stand for.”
She turned to see Dylan by his desk, arms crossed in front of him. “You need our help, and we’re going to give it to you. It’ll be on our terms, however—not yours.”
Skye took a step sideways, back toward the couch. The fight drained out of her eyes, and she slumped back onto the cushions.
Jessie sat down next to Skye and put her arm around her shoulders.
Skye looked up. “What do you mean?”
“That heroin’s going to kill people, and I don’t like that. I also don’t like thugs who take advantage of men trying to do the right thing by their sisters. So, we’re going to go back with you to Whistling Willows and put this gang behind bars.” He pointed at Finn. “Saddle up. This one’s yours.”
“What?”
Dylan zeroed in on him, his tone leaving no room for discussion. “You take lead on this. Keep me updated.” He looked at the camera. “Trey, copy Finn on all the info. We’re coming down to the briefing room.”
His attention went to Jessie. “You okay here?”
She waved him off, her arm still tight on Skye’s shoulders. “We’re going to eat and chat a little, rest up and recover. You go do what you do best.” She winked. “Well, second-best.”
Finn chuckled as the tips of Dylan’s ears went red.
Dylan gave Jessie a last nod before stepping out of the office. Finn followed, closing the door behind him to give the two women some privacy. It took him only a few steps to meet Dylan at the elevator, the call button already lit up.
“You could give this to Trey,” Finn said as the doors slid open. “Why me?”
“Because I said so.” Dylan frowned. “What’s the problem? I thought you’d be eager to go after a bunch of drug dealers.”
“I am. But Skye, she’s not…” Finn shook his head. “I’ve got a feeling about her.”
That earned him a curious stare.
“What I mean is that usually when we take on a job, the person listens to us, does what we say ’cause we’re all working to the same end.” He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder, back toward Dylan’s office. “She came in here to ask our help to murder a man. She doesn’t strike me as someone who’s willing to give up control over that goal. She might not be able to handle Smith going behind bars instead of into the ground.”
The car arrived and they went in, where Dylan punched the button to take them down to the lower levels of the club, to the heart of the Brotherhood. “Then we help her understand.” He stared at Finn. “That’s why I need you on this. You know what she’s going through, and you’ll know what she needs to survive, especially if Robby dies. As far as the mission goes, that’s on you. I think you can handle her.” A smile tweaked the edges of his mouth. “One way or another.”
They rode down in silence.