Chapter Two
After Shay finished his story, the room stayed quiet for a minute then James muttered, “Damn.”
Bane stared at Shay. “Seems us Jessin boys did not have a monopoly on crazy ass mean mothers.”
Shay sighed. “She truly felt no remorse for any of it.”
Bane’s expression looked like stone. “Ours never did either but she was an actual psycho-killer too.” He held out his hand and snapped his fingers at him. “Give me your phone.”
Shay reached into his pocket and handed it over. “What are you going to do?”
“Try to find where the call was placed from. Then I’m going to find him.” Bane turned and walked back into his security room. He hooked up Shay’s phone and ran his own program.
One by one the others joined him.
“Damn,” James murmured as he watched the program. “Hitmen can be clever.”
Bane scoffed then he got immersed in his search for Shay’s brother. Then he located his phone. He switched programs to the city’s street cameras and got in. Scanning the streets, he found they were in a town not too far from here... at a motel on the outskirts.
Bane knew the area well. He had stayed at that very motel. He knew then that the Wolves had the advantage but only for the moment.
Finally, Shay moved forward and whispered, “Did you find him?”
Bane looked up at Shay and nodded. “I think so.” He paused then added, “Actually, he’s not that far away, maybe twenty minutes or so.
They have him in an old motel just outside of Warsaw.
I know a quick way to get there but we have to be careful.
They can’t see us as we scope the place out and find Drew.
“Can you get him out of there alive and in one piece?” Shay asked.
Bane shrugged. “As long as you don’t mind a little blood spilled on the operation itself.”
“As long as it’s their blood and not yours or Drew’s, I don’t care. They think they can do whatever the hell they want.”
Bane smirked. “I’m gonna have some fun teaching them that they can’t.”
“You need some help on this mission?” James asked.
Bane stared at him then gave him a short nod.
He already knew James did well alongside him.
He never hesitated and he did not seem to mind a little blood either.
He looked back at Shay and added, “I need to grab a few things for our trip before we go.” Then he looked at James and grinned.
“Get ready to rock and roll Jamesy. We’re gonna teach these boys not to mess with us. ” Then he strolled out of the room.
James looked over at Shay and shook his head. “He thinks this is some sort of a game and that’s the scary part.” James packed what he needed from where he’d been stationed all day.
Bane came back in with a go-to bag in his hand and said, “Come on baby brother, let’s go get Drew.”
Pappy and Shay paused at the baby brother part, but they said not a thing.
James paused to check that he had his own weapon then carrying his pack, he followed Bane out to the back door.
During the trip west, James looked over at Bane to ask, “Remember the very first mission we had together?”
Bane gave him a slow nod. “You mean when I found out what a sissy you were?” he teased.
“Hey how was I supposed to know I was working with the actual boogeyman?”
They both remembered that day....
Heading around to that same bathroom window he came in at before, James noted that it was now locked. “Fuck...” he gritted.
“What?” Bane asked.
“The janitor or security must have caught it open.”
“So? There are the tunnels,” Bane offered.
“Yeah, inside but—”
“Don’t you read the whole story, James?”
He looked over at Bane “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“There’s an old entrance. Didn’t you see that on the blueprints?”
“Yeah, but that is probably compromised by asphalt or some shit since it was built. It’s been what, a hundred years?”
“We shall see,” Bane replied and turned into the darkness.
James hesitated as the man simply disappeared into the pitch. How in the hell did he do that? I can’t see a damn thing.
“Are you coming?” Bane whispered from the dark.
“Just a second, let my eyes adjust. I swear you are a God damned cat or something.” He paused as he could have sworn he heard a chuckle. Bane chuckling? Nah, has to be my imagination.
“Come on, man,” again, Bane called for him.
James stepped further into the black and he could see a little bit but not much. Finally, he could make out Bane’s outline. “Is that you?” he asked.
“No, it’s the god damned boogie man,” Bane replied in a low voice.
“Funny, very funny,” James quipped as he followed the man’s shadow.
“I was serious James. If ever there was one. I am him.”
James blinked. From what he knew... that could be true.
“Ok, here it is,” Bane spoke again.
James could see from a street light’s sparse illumination what he pointed at. An actual hatch with an old rusted lock on it. “Damn, how could they not know this was here? Some criminal could get inside the fucking courthouse with a weapon if they wanted revenge or to steal something.”
Bane snorted. “That is exactly what we will be doing.”
“Not exactly...Hey, what are you doing?” he asked as he saw the glint from Bane’s gun.
“Step back, kid.”
James did so. He cannot mean to—
PING!
He did. Bane shot the lock off with a silenced gun. He bent down and raised the rusty door up with a loud creaking of metal against metal. Then he slipped down into a pit of darkness.
James shook his head. Spiders and all kinds of shit are probably down that hole and how can he see without a flashlight?
Just then, a small light beam came up out of the hole. “Dammit, Captain Branken, how could you be ex-military and be so damned slow?” Bane asked from the depths.
James rolled his eyes. “It’s called being cautious, Mr. Boogeyman.” He climbed down a bit and grabbed his light from his belt then shone it downward. He didn’t want any surprises at the bottom.
Bane stood there looking up at him. “I swear I’m partnered with a damned girl,” he muttered.
“Oh, shut up.” James grunted as he tried to shut the heavy lid... then he finally got it. “I’m smart and cautious as I like my skin just the way it is, not marked up, thank you very much.”
“Well okay, pretty boy. It’s all clear, so you can hitch up your skirt and come on down now.”
James had to laugh as he climbed slowly down. “Who knew that the boogeyman had a sense of humor?”
“It’s fading fast though...” Bane growled at him from below.