Iceman & Peaches Returns (Sin’s Bastards Trilogy, #2)

Chapter One

The next day...

Banger rode into Troy again. He knew where the club compound was and he rode over to it. Parking under some trees, he slipped into the woods. He found a place where he could watch the goings on beyond the chain link fence without being seen himself.

He watched the compound for a few hours as the shadows of the night moved in. When the outside lights came on, he watched some more. Finally, he saw a door opening on a house to the back of the clubhouse.

A blonde woman came out as she said, “Goodnight Cassie.” Then she turned and walked toward the clubhouse. For that brief time, she was alone.

He had already cut through the chain link and he knew that face.

Peaches Vincinti, Calderone’s daughter. Dressed in jeans and a tank top, she wore a jean vest with the Sin’s Bastards patch.

Now, he made his move. He rushed in behind her and wrapped his hand over her mouth so she couldn’t scream out and alert anyone else.

He grabbed her upper arm, dragging her backward toward the fenceline.

As soon as they got deep inside the woods he released her long enough to wrap her arms behind her back.

She shook her head and whispered, “Who the hell are you and what do you want with me? My husband will hunt you down and he will kill you for this.”

Banger scoffed. “Oh, yeah? Well, he has to find me first.” He reached for her and told her, “You might have a chance to get out of this alive if you follow orders. Get on my bike. You and me are gonna have a come to Jesus meeting but not here. And lady, I have no time for any shenanigans.” He tugged her along to his bike.

Yanking her hands behind her back, he tied her wrists together.

“And I wouldn’t try anything while I’m driving either.

If we roll, you probably won’t survive. I sure would hate for your people to have to go to your funeral. ”

Peaches shook her head and asked, “How do you expect me to hang on if my hands are tied behind me?”

Banger smiled. “Don’t worry about that, I have a back bar.”

The bar would only go so far up her back but when she got on the bike he placed her hands behind the bar and then he ziptied her wrists to the bar itself. She couldn’t move, nor could she get off the bike. He swung his leg over the engine and started the bike up.

Peaches gripped the low bar with her fingers in order to stabilize herself on the seat as he took off. When they came out of the woods and onto the highway she steadied herself on the bike as he tore off down the road.

They rode to the warehouse district to an abandoned building. He drove through the open doorway and once they were inside he shut the engine down. Getting off the bike, he quickly dragged the door down.

The door was old and the loud screech it made as it came down made Peaches shiver as she looked around.

In the dim moonlight she could barely see right in front of her but as the door came down it shut out whatever light there was and it went completely dark inside.

Peaches froze and her breathing sped up.

Before she could get herself worked up a camp lantern came on.

She immediately looked over to see him lighting another camp light.

When he got done he had lit several camp lights and she could see the inside fairly well.

The room was huge, everything inside was covered in years of dust and falling debris.

The whole place was disgusting but Banger moved through the room like he was expecting something.

Peaches watched him carefully and thanked Cassie in silence.

She had taken her friend’s warning seriously and was wearing the old vest Zipper had given them years ago.

It seemed Cassie was aware something like this would happen and now all she had to do was wait for Iceman to come and get her.

She studied the man carefully as she sat on the back of his bike.

He paced the rim of the room and when he reached her he glared at her for a moment, then he shook his head and muttered under his breath, “This got so far screwed up when it didn’t have to be that way.”

Peaches shook her head. “You should have just sat down and talked to Cassie. You didn’t have to kidnap her.”

Banger looked disgusted. “I didn’t take her. Rodney took her against orders.”

Peaches nodded. “Then you tied her up and slapped her.”

Banger shook his head. “I did not.”

“Then why did she have those bruises?”

“Rodney slapped her, said she was mouthy and tried to scare us all with her list of people she knew that would kill us for napping her.”

Peaches nodded as she couldn’t hide her smirk.

“Yeah, that sounds like Cassie, but you’d have been better off just sitting down and talking to her in the first place.

” Shrugging she said, “She might have even told you what you wanted to know. Now you don’t have a chance to find out, especially since you grabbed me.

All you got now is a lot of pissed off bikers after you, not to mention my father and grandfather. ”

Banger scoffed at this, “Yeah? Well, your family already hit us. They blew up our clubhouse. What more can they do to us?”

Peaches froze at his words then she shook her head. “That was because you took Cassie. But when they hear you’ve taken me? You’ll be lucky to be alive when they are done.”

Banger shrugged. “I ain’t worried about your family. I spent ten years behind bars for a crime I didn’t commit. I survived the voices of dead men and living next to monsters and beasts. How bad can they be? I think I can survive them.”

Peaches just shook her head. This man was completely unconcerned and stupid. He might be insane too, she suddenly realized. Her father would take complete pleasure in teaching him some manners though. Sane or not. She knew he wouldn’t survive her father...if Iceman didn’t get to him first.

Then she smirked, hell he would never survive if Cassie got to him first. She didn’t get her club name for nothing.

Banger saw the smirk and his patience ended as he swung on her.

Pain exploded when he slugged her and Peaches tasted metallic iron when blood spilled inside her mouth. She spit out the blood and it stained the dusty floor. She just glared at him as blood ran down from the corner of her mouth. “Only a true coward hits a woman.”

Banger pushed his fingers through his hair as he looked frustrated. “I was never that kind of man before I went to prison. I never hit a woman in my whole fucking life!” He turned in a seemingly lost circle. “Fuck!” He lifted her off the bike and slammed her down onto the cement floor.

Peaches cried out as her hip hit the floor hard. She was tied up and didn’t expect to be tossed. She lay there while groaning.

Banger paced the floor beside her as he muttered to himself. He said things like the devil on his shoulder and his family honor.

Her breathing slowed down as she lay there listening to him muttering under his breath.

He was crazy, she saw that now. He hit her then seemed to regret it then lost his temper again.

She had seen this kind of thing before. Funny thing about that, it had been Robbie that acted this way.

The same man who had supposedly done this to him.

She closed her eyes again then just breathed in and out slowly.

The pain from his fist and treatment was settling down some.

Then she heard slow footsteps coming her way.

She felt the air shift around her but she didn’t open her eyes.

She couldn’t. There weren’t many options to reason with someone who had lost their mind. She needed to be careful here.

The footsteps stopped and he squatted beside her. Then he leaned closer to gently cup her cheek with his large hand and directed her head toward him.

She opened her eyes slowly and found herself face to face with him. Up close and personal. Yes, his eyes seemed dilated as if he was on something. Hell, maybe he was. If so, that made this one hundred times worse.

“Can you contact Cassie?” He growled softly.

She looked at him and pursed her lips tightly.

His grip on her jaw tightened as his eyes looked crazed again. “You see that I’m not messing around with this. So can you call her?”

Peaches didn’t want to answer him but his fingers were gripping her jaw hard and the longer she hesitated the tighter they became. Finally, she nodded.

He dropped his hand then reached for his phone and held it out to her.

She shook her head. “I haven’t memorized her number. I need my own phone.”

Banger growled and reached for her back pocket.

Her phone seemingly survived the throw to the floor.

Now he pushed her over on her side and used her thumb to open the device.

He scrolled for Cassie’s number, tapped the screen and put the call on speaker.

It was answered on the third ring and then he put it close to Peaches’s mouth.

Peaches felt so happy to hear her voice over the line. “Oh Cassie, thank God you answered,” she whispered.

“What’s going on Peaches? Where are you?”

“Tell her you’re in trouble but don’t give her any details,” Banger whispered as he put his hand over the speaker.

Peaches nodded and went on, “I’m in trouble and I need you.”

“Where are you?” Cassie asked her.

Peaches could read the worry in her voice but then she had known Cassie for most of her life. “You know I’m not really sure at the moment.”

Banger growled at her. “Don’t get cute.”

Cassie went quiet on the other end of the phone call as she must have heard him.

He took over the call now, “This is Virgil, I’m sure you know who I am.”

“I do,” Cassie told him coldly. “What do you want?”

“I want the same thing I wanted before,” Banger snapped. “I want what Robbie stole from me ten years ago. And I think you know exactly what that is.”

“Yeah, I know what that is,” Cassie snapped back. “Is Peaches okay? You haven’t hurt her, have you?”

Banger snorted. “She got slapped, but if you don’t tell me what I want to know, she’ll get worse,” he threatened.

“You hurt her and that will sign your death warrant, you know that right?” Cassie growled.

“All I want is to know where that little puke Robbie stashed my gold!” Banger yelled.

“No one needed to get hurt here but you and her both just refuse to just give me what I want. Damnit, I spent ten years inside the big house, praying every day that I’d be able to find the fucker who took it and get my own revenge for what he did to me and my life.

But now all I have is you two. Tell me where it is!

Right this minute, tell me where that little puke hid it. ”

“No,” Cassie told him calmly. “I’ll tell you when you turn Peaches free. That’s my price. I have no guarantee that you won’t kill her if I tell you. The gold is there and you can get it anytime but you have to let Peaches go, then I’ll tell you.”

“You little bitch.” Banger seethed. “You aren’t in charge here, I am. You tell me and I’ll leave her alive. If you don’t, I’ll slit her throat.”

“You hurt her anymore than you already have and you’ll be looking over your shoulder every day for the rest of your fucking life, but you know what?

You’ll never see the bullet with your name on it until it’s too late.

And you’ll never know who was behind that bullet, it could be her husband Iceman, her father or grandfather.

Hell, it might even be me by the time it reaches you and pierces your heart.

But it’ll be too late for you to beg for mercy and by then you’ll never find the gold.

Your life will be wasted for nothing and that gold will just sit there covered in dust and some other soul will find it one day and he’ll live like a king from the riches you left behind. ”

“Over my dead body.” Banger growled in rage.

“You let her go and I’ll tell you what you want to know,” Cassie told him simply.

“You come alone and I’ll let her go,” Banger countered.