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Victor sat in the shadows waiting and watching a place called Redemption House. This was the place featured in the brochure Mona Pearlman had dropped on her way out earlier tonight.
The place looked like an old school but he could see where it had been patched up in places. He could also see signs of where they had improved the surroundings. It looked clean and tidy for a place this old.
Something else he noticed just sitting here in the dark. There were three of four men watching the place. They too, were in the shadows but made no attempt to hide the fact that they were there. It was almost as if they wanted people to know the place was protected or something along those lines.
Victor couldn’t help but wonder who they were protecting and why. They couldn’t know about Jonah already could they?
After a long time he finally decided that Cassie wasn’t here. There was really no sense in him being here either. He had no idea if the little girl was here or not, he had a feeling he couldn’t get in to find out anyway.
He started up his car and drove away. He paused a few blocks away and reprogrammed his GPS with another address. Tory was the name of the president of the local MC, Sin’s Bastards. This was a bit disturbing in itself.
From what he’d heard Deke Tory was a real bastard to deal with and he protected his club most of all. Victor had to wonder if there was some kind of relationship between Cassie and Deke. Would the MC Prez step up to protect her if Jonah got his hands on the woman?
When he exited off the highway, he pulled it into the shadows of the tree line. He checked the lane and he knew he would have to go the rest of the way on foot. The Bastards clubhouse was at the other end and he didn’t want to tip them off he was scouting the area.
Grabbing his flashlight, he made his way through the woods and just before the trees ended, he shut off his light. Staring at the compound in front of him, he noted the fence line and the locked gate.
He studied the compound and he could see the security of the structure and the men standing in the shadows. He didn’t dare get any closer if he didn’t want to get caught.
Instead, he went back the way he came in. When he reached his vehicle, he sat there for a moment. He’d come a long way since the age of sixteen when he met Jonah. Being bigger than most of the kids his own age, he knew everyone was scared of him and he wasn’t ashamed to admit he enjoyed their fear. It gave him a sense of purpose. His mother had tried to give him guidance but it hadn’t stuck. She wanted him to be a better man than his father but Victor could see where pushing people around got him things he didn’t have to work that hard for.
Victor had decided he wanted that taste of power. When he found Jonah, he found the way to the power and they’d been together ever since. In the last fifteen years, the pair of them had come a long way. From being broke and living on the streets, they both now had showplaces, they had more money in the bank than they would ever spend and they had women anytime they needed them.
Victor was living the good life now and he had no desire to give it up. He looked back over his shoulder and for a moment, he felt a shudder of something dangerous crossing his path. For just that nanosecond in time, he felt his heart stop, then his heart began beating again and he was able to shrug it off.
Driving away from the compound Victor kept checking the rear view mirror but there was never anyone there.
When he pulled into his own driveway, he felt a moment of being safe. He wasn’t sure where that thought was coming from but he knew the Sin’s Bastards would come down hard on anyone going after them or their own. He didn’t like any of this. Jonah may have stepped on a hornet’s nest this time.
~*~
He missed seeing the lone man standing in the shadows watching him. The man didn’t move at all, as he watched Victor get out of his car and go inside. It was only after the lights went out that he disappeared into the shadows of what was left of the night.
Blocks away, Wes ran into his brother Wyatt and the pair of them walked down to where Wyatt’s car was sitting.
Once they were settled in the seat, Wyatt turned to his brother. “Well? What did you find out?”
Wes grimaced. “I was able to track his car before he left the warehouse tonight. He sat for the longest time in front of Redemption House then he went out to the clubhouse and sat there for a while.”
“That was a good idea brother, tracking Victor’s car,” Wyatt admitted.
Wes shook his head. “If Jonah had anyone looking into the whereabouts of Cassie or the girl, he would send Victor in. He sure as hell wouldn’t do it himself.”
Wyatt snorted. “That’s for damn sure. Jonah Rossi is as lazy as a slug.” Then he sat back and watched his brother for a moment. “So you followed Victor instead huh? That was smart.”
Wes nodded. “We may not be able to do much to help but we can keep track of the players.”
“Do you really think these guys are coming after Cassie and the little girl?”
Wes nodded. “Yeah, I think they are. I don’t know why Jonah is interested in Cassie but we both know what his interest is in the girl.”
“Yeah, but I was hoping those fuckin rumors were just that, rumors.” Wyatt shuddered in revulsion.
Wes rolled his eyes. “And why would Jonah be any different from his father and grandfather? That whole fuckin family should be gone. I doubt anyone would miss them and the world might be a better place without them in it.”
Wyatt was silent for a moment before he said, “We aren’t supposed to judge anyone we don’t know the truth about brother. Even then it isn’t up to us to judge another man.”
Wes stared out the window for a long time. “Even if we know the rumors are true?”
Wyatt frowned. “And how would we know that for certain?”
Wes stared out the window. “I saw the old man. Back when I was just a kid. Me and Amos saw Gino Rossi doing something we never should have had to see. I couldn’t believe it then or now.” He turned to his brother. “That whole family is wacked in the head.”
“Brother—” Wyatt started.
Wes cut him off when he held up his hand. “I don’t care one way or the other how a grown man gets his kicks. Unless it affects kids, then I care because that’s just wrong.” Shaking his head, he continued. “Sex between consenting adults is one thing and nobody’s business but their own. But between an adult and a kid, that’s where I draw the line. I cannot and will not ever condone that.”
Wyatt nodded. “You and me both brother, you and me both.”
“So for now, we wait and watch every little move they make and if one of them steps out of line, we step in and stop them.” Wes nodded.
“I can live with that,” Wyatt agreed. “I can guarantee we won’t be the only ones watching. The Sin’s Bastards will be watching as well.”
Wes nodded. “Not only them but Amos and his group will be keeping an eye out too. Miss Cassie is their champion and they aren’t going to let a man like Jonah get to her or that little girl.”
“Do you know where she is?” Wyatt asked.
Wes shrugged. “It ain’t my business to know where she is but I think she’s still with Ms. Quinn. And Ms. Quinn’s daddy is Sam Tory. So where do you think she is?”
Wyatt nodded as he smiled. “She’s safe then isn’t she?”
“Safer than she would be at home, little brother.”
“I heard that,” Wyatt agreed.
“We may as well go home for what’s left of the night and catch a few hours of sleep.” Wes yawned. “I don’t think anything else is going to happen tonight.”
“Come on, you can sleep on my couch,” Wyatt offered. “That way you’ll be at ground zero if anything happens at the Pearlman residence.”
Wes nodded and closed his eyes as Wyatt took them home. “Can you swing by my place, so I can pick up ole Blue? I’ll bet the old hound would like a night away from home too.”
Wyatt chuckled. “Sure why not? What’s one more?”
“When has one more ever bothered us?” Wes asked as he settled into his seat and crossed his arms over his chest.