Chapter Three
Crank just watched her for a moment then turned to Bouncer and Titus. “This is a freakin’ mess. What the hell was my family doing back then?”
Titus shrugged and said, “Whatever it is or was... your dad didn’t want any witnesses left behind. This is your girlfriend and her child. You think she could be your kid, right?”
Crank nodded. “She looks just like Ursala did back then but her eyes are mine. Yeah, she’s my kid. One I didn’t know. But that is about to change. I do know about her now. I will step up for her and her mom.”
Bouncer nodded. “We all will step in and protect her, but you have to delve into your dad and try to find his reason for following her all this time. According to her kid, he hasn’t stopped looking for her for over two decades. We need to know what we’re dealing with here.”
Crank nodded then turned his head to stare at the kitchen doorway between him and his daughter. Daughter? Man, that was something he never dreamed of having until today either. A kid. He needed answers that only Ursala could give him.
Ruthie looked over at Bouncer and said, “She’s safe enough here. She lives upstairs just like I do. I can watch out for her.”
Bouncer nodded and said, “We’ll be around here too. I hope that won’t interfere with your business but she’s one of ours and we protect our own.”
Ruthie nodded slowly. “I didn’t know and I don’t think she did either. Not until they came face to face.” Shaking her head she admitted, “She never talked too much about her mother or about her life before she came here and I never asked because it was none of my business, you know?”
Crank nodded and then he said, “Thank you for giving her a job. I just hope her mom joins her and we can all get some answers. I swear I never knew why she left me.”
Ruthie nodded. “I’ve known you boys for a long time. So I have no reason to doubt you, just don’t give me one now.”
Crank ran his hands over his head and rubbed his face.
Then he looked at Titus and Bouncer. “I have a freakin’ daughter.
One I never knew about. When I saw her today, I knew.
She looks just like her mother at that age.
What the hell happened back then? Why would Ursala leave without a word like that?
What does my father have to do with it, why has he been chasing after her all these years? ”
Bouncer shook his head. “I don’t have answers to any of those questions or the answers to maybe fifty more you’re going to ask in the next few days.
But we will figure this out. First, we have things to do, we have to find her mom and get them both under our protection, then you need to find out what she knows or at least what your dad thinks she knows.
It's gonna be hard to dig into secrets your dad has but if anyone can find those answers, you can.”
Crank just stood there then he looked angry.
“He hurt her, Bouncer. My dad hit her. He beat her up and left her bleeding and broken. Why?” Then he scoffed.
“But what did I expect? My dad was a bastard and if you crossed him, he let you know about it. He always used his fists or his hands when he didn’t need to.
His voice was enough and when he was unhappy, he would yell.
But he never should have touched her, he never should have chased her and threatened her.
And for that, he’s gonna pay. Even if it costs me everything, I’m gonna take his empire down.
He’s already cost me enough. I loved that woman more than anything else in the fucking world. ”
“Do you still love her that much?” Reno’s voice whispered from the kitchen doorway.
Crank turned his head to look at her. “I’ve never stopped loving her, child. She still owns a huge part of my heart and that will never change. Please call her and tell her to come to you. I don’t know if my dad knows where I live or not but at least here, I can protect her and you.”
“We can protect you and your mother,” Titus vowed to her as he then looked over at Crank. “You aren’t alone in this, brother.”
Crank nodded as he looked at Reno. “Please call her and get her here with you. My brothers and I will protect you and I’ll be finding out what my father was up to. Then it will be my aim in life to ruin him.”
Reno walked over to him and took out her phone. She turned it to show him the picture on her wallpaper. It was her and her mother.
Crank gasped when he saw Ursala’s photo. She was older of course but she was still as beautiful now as she had been back then. Then his eyes narrowed on the necklace she was wearing. His finger reached out and he traced it along her neck.
“You know it?” Reno whispered.
Crank nodded. “I gave it to her on our first year anniversary. The emeralds almost matched her eyes.” He took a deep shaky breath. “She said she would always wear it and think about me.”
Reno nodded. “She never went a day without wearing it. When I was a little girl, I used to beg her to let me wear it. But she always told me I would have to wait for my own prince to show up and have him give me one. She said this one was hers and she was going to keep it.” She exhaled heavily and said, “I called her and asked her to come here. I told her you were here but I don’t think she heard me, she sort of told me she had to go again.
They found her and she had to go. Then just before the call ended I heard the front door being kicked in.
I don’t know what happened and I’m afraid for her. ”
Crank gasped and pulled her close and asked, “Where does she live? We have to check on her.”
Reno shook her head. “She won’t be there. All we can do is wait for her to call now. I hope she got away before they found her, but all we can do now is wait for her to contact us.”
Crank looked over the top of her head and met Titus’ and Bouncer’s gaze.
A cold fierceness reflected in all their eyes.
“How much time do we have for her to reach you?” Titus asked Reno.
Reno shrugged. “Maybe three hours? She wouldn’t lead them right to me.”
Crank reached for her shoulders and he grasped them hard. “Do you know anything about why my father is still after her?”
Reno hissed as his fingers tightened on her shoulders.
Titus stepped up and pulled Crank back. “Easy Crank, you’re hurting her.”
Crank’s eyes looked haunted and he let her go.
Reno stared at him then shook her head. “She would never tell me why. Whatever she found out, she never shared with me, but she always said it could cost her life. She didn’t want me to carry that burden.”
“Does she know where you are?” Titus asked.
Reno nodded. “Yeah, she knows. She said if they came at us again she would come to me and we would take off together.”
“Well guess what, little girl,” Bouncer stated. “You aren’t alone in this any longer.”
“She’s got a tracker on my phone,” Reno whispered.
“Does that tracker work both ways?” Bouncer asked.
Reno shrugged and pulled out her phone. “I don’t know, I never tried it before.” She gave her phone to Bouncer who handed it off to Titus.
He checked the tracker and he found it did work both ways. “I got her.” He looked over at Crank.
Crank looked like he was barely holding it together. He grabbed her phone and watched as the little red dot moved through the town she was in. He could see every turn she made and he had to wonder if someone was chasing her.
Then he saw her turn again and that turn must have taken her to the highway as her speed went up. Crank turned to a chair. He sat down and continued watching the red dot come closer to them. Nothing else in the world mattered to him at this point.