Chapter 8 #3
Keys had no intention of traumatizing children unnecessarily, but there was no way to stage a public shooting without some chaos.
Even if he enlisted the help of the Mountain Mutineers, the Via Daemonia MC, the Non Cras MC, and his own Master Key Security Solutions, there was no way of creating a completely safe, completely fake event.
Not if he had any hope of not having anything traced back to him or Mount Grove.
It would defeat the purpose of bringing Rose and Oscar there if the bad guys, or roaches as Keys found he was fond of calling them, knew where they were.
The plan was to lead them where they wanted them to think Rose and Oscar were.
Things moved quickly after Keys brought Rose and Oscar out of the park.
In the back of a rented motorhome that Thorne drove, Keys withdrew some vials of blood from Oscar while Rose held and comforted him.
It completely sucked that Keys’ first act in the boy’s life was to cause him pain, but he hoped the giant-ass lollipop and teddy bear he’d bought in anticipation of this moment made up for it.
Rose’s reproachful look of “what the fuck?” when she saw the size of the damn thing might have put him further onto her bad side. Oops. Maybe he shouldn’t have gone with a lollipop that was as wide as Oscar’s head.
As Thorne drove Oscar and Rose away—Oscar happily licking at his treat—Grimm followed at a discreet distance in a separate vehicle that held all Rose and Oscar’s belongings.
When Rose and Oscar had left their home earlier, Grimm and Thorne were waiting to break in and pack.
They left all furniture, with the exception of Oscar’s racing bed, and food, and nothing was packed particularly neatly, but all their possessions were removed from the rental home.
Grimm would ensure that nothing happened on the long drive back.
Additionally, the brothers had spare gasoline canisters to make less refueling stops in surveilled locations, plenty of water and snacks, and would avoid all toll roads.
By the time they made it back to Mount Grove, what should have been a fifteen hour drive would take about twenty-two.
Keys and Goose would make it back before the others did.
Keys tried to nonchalantly walk back to the playground equipment that Oscar had been playing on as he placed an earwig into his left ear. It was similar to the ones Rose used with the Non Cras.
“Ready?” he asked Goose.
“Am I ready to shoot into a crowd of children?” Goose retorted back. “Apparently.”
When Keys had approached the brothers with his idea, he’d feared his idea would be too out there, too dangerous, for them to agree.
But he still needed their help, and maybe they would have a better idea that would still get the same results.
Instead, the brothers agreed without hesitation and thought there needed to be more than just hair follicles left behind.
Keys was nervous as fuck. Any other mission he’d been on like this—well, not exactly like this, but equally as dangerous—he’d had his brothers with him.
Really, his job had always been just to stay in his van.
Watch the computers, track the comms, and verify everyone’s safety.
Keys wanted to go to his brothers for help.
He really, really had. But at the end of the day, he couldn’t risk them.
They had families and homes and jobs. If Keys’ plan failed, if Rose and Oscar had to run instead of settling down in Mount Grove, Keys knew in his gut that he was going with them.
He didn’t want that, nor was he hoping for it, but he knew that he was prepared to leave the only family he’d ever known, if he had to.
Keys looked around at the number of kids still at the playground. Rose chose this time to bring Oscar because it was the least crowded, which certainly made it easier on Keys’ conscience what he was about to do.
“Stop,” came into his ear. “Take a small step back and to your left. Based on the surveillance tape you did your weird-ass techy magic to, that’s exactly where Oscar would be standing.”
Facing the rock wall Oscar had been climbing only minutes before, Keys took out a mini soda can with Oscar’s blood in it and held it at roughly Oscar’s height. He still wore the latex gloves he’d donned to draw the blood. “Do you have a clear shot?”
“As clear as we’re going to get.”
Keys nodded and took a deep breath. “For the record, I hate this plan.”
Laughter filled his ear. “It was your plan, boss! If anyone should hate it, it’s me.”
“It means a lot that you’re willing to risk yourself like this. I won’t forget it,” Keys told the man stationed on the roof.
“Quit stalling. Now’s as good a time as any. Let’s do this thing!”
Keys grimaced, because he certainly had been stalling. “One… Two… Three…”
The can exploded in his fingers, followed by the echoing bang of a gunshot.
All the adults, and even some kids, froze as blood splattered the rock wall.
Keys didn’t move a muscle, not wanting to draw attention to himself.
He’d debated on wearing sunglasses and a hat or a hoodie, but the Riley brothers convinced him not to, saying he’d probably get arrested or beaten up by helicopter moms if he showed up to a playground looking like a pedophile on the prowl.
Several heartbeats passed before a series of echoes followed the first. Keys reached into his pocket and hit the button that ignited the various blasting caps they had buried in the surrounding grass, under benches, or on the plastic of the equipment as Goose shot blanks.
Grabbing the can, Keys joined the panicked adults and kids scattering for safety. One of the fears Keys had with his plan was someone getting hurt in the stampede. He’d never forgive himself if a kid got hurt, all so he could plant Oscar’s blood and Rose’s hat.
As Keys had told Rose, she’d hidden herself too well. They had to make her sudden re-appearance believable. Something tragic enough not to raise eyebrows, while also leaving behind the appropriate amount of evidence that facts couldn’t be disputed.
Tyson Kennedy might not come out of hiding for Rose, a woman he clearly hadn’t loved and was planning on turning into one of his sex workers. Even knowing she’d been the one to turn him in might not be enough for him, given the cushy deal he’d made himself.
But for his son?
Keys had every reason to believe that that would make him crawl out of the hole he’d dug for himself.
“I’m clear,” came over the earwig.
Keys let out a sigh of relief. “Good. Come pick me up. I need to get in front of the social media posts.”
* * *
Sixteen Days to Present
“What’s up with you?”
Keys looked up from his computer at Cage, his heart racing in his chest as he tried to frantically recall where in the building Rose and Oscar were. “Huh?”
“This is the fourth time this week you’ve cancelled on us. What’s going on?” his club brother asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Nothing. I’m fine. Just busy.” Though his eyes didn’t leave Cage, his fingers typed a command into his keyboard.
WiseWave620: MC in building. Stay put.
Cage’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not buying it.” He stepped forward and put his fists down on the wood of Keys’ desk. Which put him nearly eye to eye with Keys. “Talk, kid.”
Keys felt a cold sweat coat his skin. “Nothing, really. Just pissed at myself for losing that deal, I guess. I’m fine. Honest, Cage. I think I just need to get some sleep.”
“You’re a shit liar, kid.”
Keys’ cheeks flamed, but he kept his mouth shut.
Cage stood up, crossing his arms over his chest. “Why won’t you talk to me? Why won’t you trust me?”
“It has nothing to do with trust!” Keys insisted, almost frantically. He never wanted anyone in his club to think he didn’t trust them.
“Then tell me what’s going on.”
Keys lowered his gaze to his keyboard. Rose and Oscar were finally here in Mount Grove—hell, they were in his building—and yet he barely saw them.
He wanted to give them space, time to adjust…
and maybe there was a part of him that wanted Rose to come to him.
Plus, there was keeping an eye on what they’d staged in Illinois.
Reports of the park shooting had remained regional because it was reported that there were no deaths, minor injuries, and minimal structural damage.
But Oscar’s blood was still put in the system, as was Rose’s DNA.
Now they just had to wait for the results to be processed to see what roaches stuck their heads up.
If none did, which Keys highly doubted but had considered, then Rose could come out of hiding with no issues.
Didn’t mean there had to be a large banner and massive celebration, but she could live her life without the constant fear of someone using Oscar against her.
A part of Keys wanted to push the results through faster, hating the waiting part of the plan, but the results had to be organic.
And unlike in the movies, DNA and crime scenes aren’t actually processed that quickly.
Pissed Keys off to no end, because he could have faked the entire thing, including reports, witness statements, footage, and the forensics in a matter of days.
But if there was anyone working for the roaches with his and Rose’s computer skills, they would pick up on the trail.
So as organic as possible was, unfortunately, the way to go.
It was just so fucking boring waiting on the slow wheels of justice to churn.
Glancing up, Keys realized that Cage was still in his computer lab, still staring down at him. Shit, his mind had wandered again. And from the expression Cage was giving him, his brother wasn’t going away anytime soon.
“I, um…” Keys struggled with something to say. Fuck, why did he have to be such a shit liar? “I met a girl. A woman,” he hastily corrected.
Cage’s expression went from suspicious to ecstatic. “Yeah? Is it Poison’s tech?”