Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Hannibal
I finish rinsing the soap from my body as the bathroom door slams open.
Reaching over, I turn off the water and yank the curtain back, taking in Lola’s pale face.
“What’s wrong?”
She walks over and gives me my cell phone with shaky hands.
I take it from her as she turns and flees to the bedroom.
Havoc’s name is on the screen, making me grind my teeth.
“What the fuck did you say to my old lady?” I snarl.
“Nevaeh’s been kidnapped. We’re tracking her, but I could use some help, and you’re closer.”
“Fuck. I’m leaving now. Just tell me where to go.”
“G will text you directions.” He hangs up before I can say anything else.
I toss my phone on the counter, grab a towel from the rail, and dry off.
With no time to waste, I put on the dirty clothes I tossed in the corner before grabbing my phone and heading back into the bedroom.
Lola's standing next to the bed looking lost, but I don’t have time to reassure her right now.
“I’ve gotta go. Nevaeh’s been taken.” My phone chimes with directions as I jog down the stairs to the kitchen. I dial Ferris, who isn’t working today, and grab my cut from the back of the chair as I wait for him to pick up.
“Prez?”
“Where are you?” I bark into the phone.
“On my bike in the lot. I was heading out for some food.”
“I’ll meet you there.” I hang up, snag my keys, and head out to my bike. I take my gun from my cut, make sure it’s loaded and the safety’s on before I straddle my bike and shove my helmet on. I take off for the front lot where Ferris is waiting. I stop only long enough to tell him what’s going on and to order the prospect to open the gates.
Once we’re out on the road, I activate the Bluetooth and call G. “Hey, we’re on the road, heading in your direction.”
“Good. I’m gonna keep feeding you info so you know where to go, but I’ve gotta keep this line free. You’ve gotta know—Hannibal, Probe’s hurt.”
“How bad?”
“Bad.”
“Fuck. Keep me updated.” I hang up and gun the engine. Ferris follows behind me as we travel as fast as we can without risking getting pulled over.
We’ve been riding for about an hour when my phone chimes with a message. An automated voice reads out the message, which is another set of directions. We carry on like this for the next couple of hours until G’s final message lets me know they’re pulling up outside the property where Nevaeh's being held.
I send a voice-to-text message saying how far out we are before dialing Ferris.
I wait for the call to connect as I make a hard left.
“We’re almost there. I’m not sure what we’re walking into, but if anything happens to Nevaeh, be prepared to lock Havoc down.”
“Do you have any fucking clue what’s happening?”
“None, but my money’s on Driller. And if there's one thing I know about the prick, it’s that he hates his brother. He’ll hurt Nevaeh in front of him for maximum impact.”
Ferris snarls but doesn’t dispute my words as I pull into a long-ass driveway lined with trees.
“Should have taken the motherfucker out years ago,” he grunts.
“Khan protected him,” I remind him as he falls silent.
When a house comes into view, I drop the call and slow the bike until we come up on Nevaeh’s car and a sleek Camaro I climb off, and head for the house with my gun drawn, Ferris on my heels. We follow the noise into the kitchen.
Nevaeh stands frozen next to the kitchen counter, her hands over her mouth, a wooden pole at her feet. I do a brief scan of her, taking her in. See she looks mostly unhurt. My gaze drops to Havoc, who is straddling some guy and beating the absolute shit out of him.
“That’s not Driller,” Ferris states as I walk forward and grab Havoc’s arm. He fights me, but I tighten my grip and lean closer.
“Nevaeh needs you,” I growl at him.
He stops and looks over at her, his chest heaving, blood covering his clothes. I move back as he stands up and calls her name, but she’s completely zoned out. I worry she’s going into shock until Havoc calls her cupcake. She snaps out of it before she plows into him.
I leave them to have their moment as I bend down and check out the guy on the ground. A cry sounds from somewhere in the house, sending both Nevaeh and Havoc running from the room. I look at Ferris, who steps toward the hallway just as someone else comes tearing around the corner and up the stairs.
“What the fuck? Is that Ambros Deveraux?”
I shrug, turning back to the man. The lack of gunfire and screaming from upstairs tells me that Havoc has it under control, so I focus on the bloody mess of a man before me. Sliding my fingers around his neck, I press for his pulse but find nothing.
“He’s dead.” I get to my feet and take a step back as boots thump down the stairs once again, and Havoc storms into the room. He raises his foot and stomps on the dead guy with so much force, I’m surprised his head doesn’t pop like a watermelon.
“Havoc?”
He turns his head slowly to look at us, his face one of utter fury. “Nevaeh’s sister is upstairs with a shackle around her ankle and a child, I suspect is hers, strapped to her chest.”
“He kidnapped Nevaeh’s sister, too?” Ferris steps up, looking confused.
I stare at him in shock. Wasn’t she taken when she was just a kid?
“Yeah, Ferris. Fifteen years ago.”
His face pales as he looks at me, a wealth of knowledge passing between us. Yeah, that girl is going to be beyond fucked-up and need some serious therapy if she hopes to get through this.
“I need to find the key,” Havoc grunts, bending down and rummaging through the dead man’s pockets.
I pat my cut, feeling for my lock-picking kit. I pull it out and wave it at him. “Let me go look. I can pick most locks.”
“Just go careful. She’s terrified.”
I nod and head upstairs, spotting G in the doorway.
“Hey Hannibal, thanks for coming, man.”
I nod as I move past him and take in the woman who should be a mirror reflection of Nevaeh. Instead, she’s like a shadow.
I walk forward slowly. She whimpers like a wounded animal from the lap of the guy holding her.
“Ambros, I’m guessing?”
“Yeah,” he grunts out, smoothing his hand down the sister’s hair. “This is Citi. The little girl is Star.”
“Hey, Citi. I’m Hannibal. I’m going to try and get this shackle off you, okay?”
She nods rapidly as I gently turn her ankle so I can get to the lock. The medic in me catalogs the ring of bruises and broken skin around the shackle. Even with the thing still on, I can see it’s infected.
I use the pick to work the lock, taking my time because rushing only leads to mistakes. She never complains or asks me to hurry up. The kid in her lap doesn’t say a word either but she watches me with curious eyes until the lock clicks and I grin.
“Got it.” I ease the shackle from her leg and drop it to the floor with a clang.
Ambros wastes no time scooping her up, kid and all. “Let’s get you out of here,” he murmurs to her as he passes by me. Havoc stops them for a minute to ask her something before Ambros carries her out. The others follow her as I look around the sparse room. There’s an old-fashioned single bed under the window and a small dresser on the opposite wall. That’s it. Judging from the size of the bed, I have to assume this is the kid’s room. But there are no toys or stuffed animals. Hell, there isn’t even any color in here. It has the personality of a hospital waiting room. How the fuck could a kid possibly thrive in here?
I head down after the others, thinking about Millie. I wonder what her room could have been like if I’d let her go into foster care, and feel myself start to get angry.
How do you protect your kids when there are so many fucking monsters in the world? And yeah, I know I’m not in a position to judge, given how fucked-up I am. But kids are off-limits. And it should be that way for everyone.
And yet, looking at this house, I know it’s not. While other kids her age might be scared of the monster under their beds, this one will know that real monsters blend in with everyone else. It’s impossible to spot a monster in a crowd when they look just like the rest of us.
I shake my head and walk outside, needing some air. I notice everyone disappearing around the side of the house, so I follow them.
Ferris jogs up behind me. “I’ve got the place ready to burn. With how far out it is, it should burn out of control before anyone can do anything about it.”
“Good. I think they’ve all been through enough. Cops taking this guy in wouldn’t have solved anything. He’d be out in a few years, targeting someone else.”
“Not to mention the media circus if the cops let the story leak. And let’s be honest, they always fucking do. What’s going on?”
I turn at his question and see Citi sitting alone in a circle of flowers as Ambros talks to Havoc and Nevaeh.
G steps over to us, his jaw tight with anger. “There were other children over the years.”
I wait for the rest. When it doesn’t come, I look over at Citi and fill in the blanks. “They’re buried out there, aren’t they?”
G nods as Ferris curses. “Does she still want me to burn this place?”
“Yeah. She says it will set them free.”
We all stand on the sidelines, watching a young woman already ravaged by abuse, grieve for what should have been. It’s both beautiful and painful to watch.
Feeling like we’ve intruded enough, I walk over to Havoc, who has Nevaeh tucked under one arm and Star in the other. Nevaeh cries silently as she watches her sister say goodbye to a tainted past and a stolen future.
“We’ll ride back with you, just in case you need a medic.” Without examining Citi, I can’t tell what kind of state she’s in, and I don’t think she’d consent to that somehow.
“Appreciate it, Hannibal.”
I nod. “That’s what brothers are for. Besides, I need to check on Probe. Can’t go home without knowing what’s going on.”
He blows out a deep sigh as I head for my bike to wait. I tug the packet of cigarettes from my cut, offering one to Ferris when he follows me. He takes it and lights it with his Zippo before leaning over and lighting mine.
“I quit,” I tell him as he sucks in a lungful of nicotine.
“So did I. But days like these…” He drifts off, leaving the rest unsaid.
“Yeah, days like these.”