CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Deanna could feel the burn of the knife slicing through her blouse into her skin. He’d started at her naval and slid the blade up, tearing the buttons from her shirt.
“You know, I thought I’d kill you, but you might make us a pretty penny,” said Douglass. “Nice tits, firm ass, pretty face. Well, it will be once it heals.”
Deanna shook her head, her eyes nearly swollen shut. Her mouth was bleeding, but what really pained her was her abdomen and ribs. One of the men gripped a handful of hair, jerking her head backward.
“Where are the files? Tell me, or so help me God, I’m going to fuck you in ways your nightmares couldn’t imagine.”
“I-I don’t have them,” she said again.
“You do!” screamed Jackson, punching her in the face again. When he raised his hand with the knife, he felt a stinging and then blood trickling down his hand. Douglass looked around the space, trying to find the direction of the bullet.
“She’s telling the truth,” said Gaspar. “I have the documents.”
“Me too,” said Nine, stepping around the float.
“Me three,” grinned Ghost. “We’ve all got them. What are you going to do about it?” There were a dozen weapons pointed at the two men, and they knew they were outnumbered.
“You have no idea who you’re fucking with,” said Jackson.
“Oh, we’ve got a good idea,” said Nine. He turned to Wilson and Angel, nodding for them to lift Deanna and get her out of there.
“She’s not going fucking anywhere!” yelled Douglass.
“You seem to be under the impression that we care what the fuck you want,” said Nine. “We don’t. She’s leaving. You, however, are staying.”
“You’re dead men. All of you,” snarled Jackson.
“Why? Because Leon will get upset.” The two men paled, not saying anything. “Or maybe your old pal Jamal is going to lose his temper. Is that it? You know what, it doesn’t matter. You touched that young woman, and I’m going to kill you.”
“We just want the documents.”
“Again, you’re under the impression that I give a fuck what you want,” said Gaspar. “None of us cares a single damn bit about you and what you want. You trafficked women into this country just because you could. It wasn’t even like you were hoping to do it full-time. It was a fucking side hustle for you.”
“You burned our clubs,” said Jackson, suddenly connecting the dots.
“Oh, fuck yeah, we did,” laughed Miller. “I burned those babies to the ground, and the girls are safe from you. Your bouncers are dead, your managers are dead, and soon you’ll be joining them.”
“Who the fuck are you? We have the right to know,” said Douglass.
“Well, you actually don’t have any rights,” said Gaspar, “but since I’m in a good mood, I’ll tell you. We represent Robicheaux Oil and Gas. We own that piece of land that you were going to build the oil tankers on. We, all of us, are preventing your little scheme, which is going to seriously piss off your bosses.”
“This is bigger than you think,” said Jackson, shaking his head. “It’s not just Jamal and Leon. It’s more.”
“Talk.”
“Will you let us live?”
“No. But I won’t torture you like you did that girl,” said Nine. Trak stared at his old friend, raising his hands in the air and then slapping them on his thighs. “I know, I know. I said you could torture them. Let’s see what they have to say.”
“You’re fucking crazy. All of you,” said Douglass.
“Probably. Who else is involved?” said Ghost.
“Everyone. The Governor, the police chief, the sheriff, Department of Energy, all the way to the top military officials in that area. They’re all getting a piece of the pie. Even the president signed off on the freighters to be unloaded on U.S. soil.”
Miller looked at his brother, then at the other men. If that was true, they were stepping into shit that they might not come back from.
Nine? We’re getting Deanna back to the hospital. She’s bad, brother.
They all heard Wilson’s voice and felt the gut punch immediately. Trak gripped the handle of his blade so hard they heard his rough calluses scraping against the leather.
“None of this would be happening if that fucking old man would have just fixed the tax returns and hid what needed to be hidden,” said Jackson.
“Wrong answer,” said Nine. “Trak, Alec, and Tailor. Take our friends for a little boat ride. And Trak? Invite Alvin.”
Trak’s smile grew so wide the two men knew it wasn’t good. Immediately nervous, they tried to run, only to be met by Whiskey and Miller’s fists.
“What now?” asked Antoine.
“Make sure there’s nothing wrong with the floats. That was Deanna’s only worry was to make sure the girls were able to ride on these damn things. She might not be able to see them, but they’ll be on here with us as their crew.”
With Deanna in a hospital bed, barely able to breathe, let alone move, she watched the parade on the small tablet that Sly handed her. She had tears in her eyes, seeing how happy the girls were. When she spotted Tailor and Alec dressed as jesters, she laughed, immediately regretting it. The pain crept up her side, causing her to cry.
“Hey, hey,” said Cruz. “Take it easy, honey. They look great, and they look happy. Tailor and Alec are making sure nothing happens to the girls. You did that.”
“Not me,” she said, shaking her head. “You did that. I shouldn’t have left here. I should have told you.”
“Yeah. You should have,” said Cruz. “I’m not going to sugarcoat that. When you’re well, you can count on your new bosses giving you a good lecture about that. For now, you just have to get well.”
“What about them? What about those men?” she whispered.
“You don’t have to worry about them. They’re taken care of. Penn Carver has been arrested, as well as your old boss. There will be more heads to fall, Deanna. We’re not going to stop until this is done.”
“Dangerous. It’s all too dangerous.”
“Maybe. But that’s what we specialize in. We’ll get all this taken care of, and then you can start your new life, here, with us.” He took the tablet as the parade ended and offered her another pain pill, which she gladly took. When he turned to leave, Pax was standing in the doorway.
“Can I see her?” Cruz nodded.
“Just for a minute. She just took more pain meds.” Pax took the seat vacated by Cruz and reached for Deanna’s hand.
“I screwed up,” she said, looking at him.
“No, you didn’t. You saved those girls, and you held on. You lasted for us to get to you. All this will go away,” he said, waving an arm over her battered body. “You’re going to be great, and I’m glad you’re going to be working here.”
“Why are you in black?” she asked.
“I’ve got something we need to do. When it’s done, I’ll be back to take you home. To your cottage.”
“Why are you being so nice?” she asked in a sleepy voice as her eyes fluttered shut.
Pax had no response for her as she fell asleep. He stood, kissed her forehead, and left the room. Cruz watched as the young man walked out the back door.
“Where’s he going?” asked Doc.
“If I’m not mistaken, to kill the head of the snake.”