18. Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Eighteen
Dominique “Nikki” Honoré
“What’s the name of this place?” I asked.
We had just stepped out of the truck and were headed towards a large building.
“LeBlanc’s Gator Tours. This is Dragon and Wolf’s place.”
I’d met both men and had hung out with Lyra, Dragon’s Old Lady a few times while I was recuperating at the clubhouse.
Gator farm was not what I was expecting when Joshua ordered the guys to take Decker to the farm. After what I witnessed at the funeral home, I didn’t ask any questions about why we were coming here. Just like the funeral home, I felt this place had witnessed the Sinners’ activities countless times. It really was a clever method for disposing of bodies, just like the furnace at the funeral home. No body, no crime.
I had learned quickly these men did not play when it came to protecting people they considered innocents or the ones they considered their family. And they did what needed to be done which apparently included getting rid of bodies by feeding them to alligators.
“Where is he?” I asked as we walked around a building.
“Just up a head.”
He motioned to the larger metal building not too far ahead but the closer we came to it, the more fear welled up inside me, making my heart race inside my chest.
This would be the first time I’d come face to face with the man who had sexually assaulted me and so many other women. The man who tried to sell me to the highest bidder.
In my heart, I knew I had nothing to fear with Joshua by my side, his presence providing a sense of security. Yet, my brain struggled to recognize how truly safe I was in the present moment. I couldn’t shake the image of him restraining me on the bed from my mind. I could still feel his hands tightening around my neck, suffocating me and his fingers entering me. No matter how much I struggled, I couldn’t get him off of me. In the middle of the night, I would sometimes jolt awake in fear, and Joshua would hug me, whispering soothing words to me until I drifted back to sleep.
Cadence recommended I seek counseling, convinced that after such a traumatic experience, I would undoubtedly face some emotional issues. Although I hadn’t decided yet, the anticipation of being in the same room with him even though I knew what the outcome would be, made me lean towards therapy being the best choice.
“Calm down,” Joshua said, his soothing voice resonating as he stood protectively in front of me, his hands providing a comforting touch on my arms.
Without even realizing it, I had stopped walking. I took in a deep breath and released it, trying to calm my nerves.
“You don’t have to do this,” he whispered, his voice filled with concern for me. “I can take care of it.”
“No, I think I need to do this. I need to take control back. I’m just scared to be in the same room with him again.”
“The fear you have of him is understandable after what you went through. But trust me, he will not get anywhere near you.”
I knew he wouldn’t let anything happen to me. It was time for me to face my nightmare.
“I’m ready,” I said with as much confidence I could muster.
I wasn’t ready to do this, but it had to be done. The time had come to confront the Devil, and make sure he didn’t do this to anyone else. I needed to see him die for myself.
Joshua looked at me skeptically. I knew he didn’t believe me, but he didn’t ask me anymore questions as he intertwined our hands, then started our trek towards the large metal building.
I thought we were going inside when we reached it, but we went around the back until we reached a pier where a boat was sitting.
Joshua clutched my hand, guiding me onto the boat, and then he joined me.
“Are you ready, Prez?” Dragon asked.
“Yeah,” Joshua said as he led me over to a bench near the railing.
Once we were seated, Wolf untied the boat, and Dragon steered away from the dock. When we were clear, he sped up the boat, and we traveled down the bayou.
Joshua wrapped his arm around my shoulder, and I laid my head against him. I hadn’t changed my mind. I was going to be the one to kill Owen Decker. But I needed him to help me get through this.
As we ventured deeper into the swamp, the towering trees cast longer and darker shadows, obscuring the sunlight. But the heat was still stifling. The hot and moist air had my clothes sticking to my skin, and the smell of decaying trees and animals filled the air.
Dragon slowed the boat, then killed the engine.
“Stay here,” Joshua said, as he stood.
I watched him walk over to Dragon. As they talked, I looked around. I couldn’t believe the last time I was in a place like this I was running for my life.
The occasional splashes coming from the water and the tap-tap-tap of a woodpecker echoed around me. Alligators slipped through the dark murky water, only their eyes and snouts visible above the water line.
“You ready?” Joshua asked, as he reached out his hand for me.
“I am.”
I clasped his hand, feeling the warmth and strength in his grip, and stood up. We walked towards the back of the boat, where the sound of waves lapping against the hull filled the air. Sitting on a bench, Wolf kept a watchful eye over a bound Owen Decker at his feet. He was bloody and bruised, but still breathing. As his swollen eyes locked onto mine, a wave of fear washed over me, causing me to freeze in place.
A sinister smile crossed his face, revealing his bloodstained teeth. “Ah…good to see you again, Ms. Honoré.” He spat out a mouthful of blood. “I’m glad you’re here. We can finish what we started.”
Joshua moved so fast. He kicked Decker in the stomach, then landed a barrage of punches to him before Wolf pulled him away. Decker groaned and coughed, the sound echoing through the air, before a burst of laughter erupted from him.
“Isn’t this something,” Decker said, smiling at Joshua. “You’ve had a taste too, huh?”
He laughed when Joshua tried to get to him again, but Wolf held him back.
“How do you keep up with your clients?” I asked.
It had been a question that was on my mind since I started focusing back on getting this story out. He had to have some type of system to keep everything in order. And that included a client list. I wanted it. And before he died, he was going to tell me where it was at.
He glared at me, and I steeled my spine. I was safe, I repeated in my mind. Joshua, Wolf, and Dragon were here to protect me.
“Where’s your client list?” I asked again.
“Fuck you,” he responded, and for that response Joshua kicked him in the stomach.
“You’re not getting out of this alive, but you do have the chance to save your wife, and if her life isn’t enough to get you to tell me what I want to know, then maybe your daughter’s life is worth it,” I said.
“You won’t touch her,” he sneered. “You don’t have it in you.”
“Maybe I don’t, but these three men do.”
“You know the Russians are in town,” Joshua said, looking at Dragon and Wolf. “They’re always looking for girls. Isn’t that right Dragon and Wolf?” Both men nodded. “I’m sure they would love to have one more girl.”
Decker’s fear-filled eyes darted between the three Sinners before settling back on me.
“Tell me what I want to know and save your daughter,” I said. “Or are you the heartless monster who’s also willing to throw your daughter to the wolves?”
“All the information you need is in a wall safe behind the Monet in the study at my home in the Garden District,” he said without hesitation. I guess he knows all about these Russian and what they’d do to his precious daughter if they ever got their hands on her. “The code is 2976.”
Joshua turned to Wolf. “Get one of the guys to grab everything out of there and take it to the clubhouse.”
Wolf pulled out his cellphone and walked towards the front of the boat. “Are you ready to finish this sweetheart?” Joshua asked me.
“I am,” I said without hesitation. “Feed him to the gators.” I looked to Decker and smiled. “Alive.”
As Joshua and Dragon hauled him up from the floor of the boat and over to the boat’s railing, his screams filled the air, echoing across the water.
He was still bound by rope, so it didn’t matter how close I got to him, he couldn’t touch me. I wanted my face and words to be the last thing imprinted in his memory when he took his last breath.
I approached him with a poker face, but inside, fear surged through every fiber of my being.
“I made a vow that when I got away from that place, I would kill you. This is for every woman, living and dead you hurt.”
Joshua and Dragon released their grip on him, and with a forceful push from me, he tumbled over the side of the boat.
As soon as his body hit the water, he let out piercing screams that echoed through the swamp, blending with the sounds of gators tearing at his flesh.
The dark murky water was tinged with a haunting red hue, evidence of the gruesome scene that unfolded where his body was torn apart. A scene I refused to turn away from no matter how grisly it was.
Joshua approached me from behind, his arms encircling me as he pulled me close against his chest. As he leaned in, his lips gently pressed against my temple.
“I’m so proud of you,” he said, his voice filled with genuine admiration. “I know that had to be hard.”
I looked up at him over my shoulder and smiled. I was proud of me too. Even though I’d played a part in two people losing their lives, I didn’t feel guilty. I was proud I could go through with it. All that remained was to get his client list and take out every individual on it.
“Let’s finish this,” I said.