Chapter Eight
Sam didn’t back down. “I know what Pappy and Shay just said, but you can’t let that ruffle you none.
We all know you’re a tough guy. We’ve seen it.
But even in the past you always kept a spark of your soul hidden behind the bad guy facade.
You cannot allow rage and hate to close in again, man.
You’ll lose the love of a good woman and you’ll lose that baby she gave you.
And that’s something you’ll never get back. ”
“Back off, man.” Bane warned.
Sam shook his head. “I don’t think so, son.
You gotta keep your monster away or you’ll lose that spark of your humanity.
Then you’ll lose the most important thing in your life.
That little girl is your shining light here and if you lose her, you’re done.
” Sam nodded. “I know how that feels as I got close to losing mine once and it ain’t no fucking picnic.
Do what you have to do but you keep her in mind too. ”
Bane grew quiet the longer Sam spoke. Aurora was indeed his shining light. She and Sarah meant more to him than anyone would know. He gave Sam a hard look and then he nodded. “I hear ya, Bones,” he said quietly. “I hear ya.” He then moved back and went out to the hallway.
James visibly sagged in relief.
Deke snorted at the literal stupidity often mistaken for courage his dad could show.
Mountain shook his head and smirked at Sam.
Shay folded his hands together and smiled.
Stone just laid back as he closed his eyes and said a short prayer.
Dr. Badliss moved around and gathered his stuff.
Then he set a couple of small pill bottles down on the main table.
He looked over at Bane who stood in the doorway now.
He gave them another warning, “If you boys go looking inside those woods, you should be careful. Owens had some mighty shifty men coming there, over the weeks he was in residence. Hell, even before then that other fellow had some movement in those woods too. It wasn’t my business but I could still hear those trucks coming and going. ”
Bane looked over at Shay. A little side trip might bring everything out in the open.
Shay looked interested in finding out what Owens and Charlie were hiding in those woods. He gave Bane a nod.
After the doctor left, Shay picked up his phone and called a second team in. He looked up at Bane and smiled. “Don’t worry, these are soldiers. They know what they’re doing.”
“So do we,” Bane stated firmly.
Shay nodded. “I know but I want my men to go in there. We might have to follow protocol here. I want no mistakes made so Wagner’s high-priced lawyers can’t say mistakes were made.
I’ve got a judge that will issue a warrant and my main guy will bring it with him.
I want him and Owens sitting in a prison ward sooner rather than later. ”
Bane turned to James and grinned. “That’s our cue. Should we check on our guests? They should be well and truly done by this time?”
Shay frowned, then asked, “Just who are your guests?”
Bane smirked. “We brought Owens and Charlie Midland here before we went looking for you. So if you want it all legal, you’d better stay out of their sight. Because I have held them against their will and they were a little beat up when we trapped them.”
“A little beat up?” Shay asked with a raised brow.
James shook his head and raised his hand to point at his face. “Look at my bruises, okay? Owens did that. Hung me from a rafter and had his men use me as an Everlast bag.” He glanced at Bane. “He simply took exception to that treatment, is all.”
Bane nodded. “I did and I showed them that no one treats James like that except for me.”
James scoffed.
“And just where are they?” Stone asked.
James brought this laptop over and tapped some keys. “Here is the video feed from my cell. It will show you where they are. You both can watch it since you are on bedrest.”
Bane turned and went out.
Everyone but Stone and Shay followed him to the secret staircase then into the basement. They all stopped in front of the heavy metal door. A light had been mounted above the door. It was now flashing red.
Bane glanced up at it and smirked. Then he wordlessly pulled out a key and turned it in the heavy looking lock.
As soon as the door was pushed open, they heard voices coming from inside, begging to be released.
Bane reached in and flipped a toggle switch.
They all just stared as the heavy steel door began backing up. When it settled back into the groove where it belonged, Bane walked in and everyone followed.
James aimed his phone at the men in the metal room.
They all saw Jasper Owens and Charlie Midland cowering in the far corner of the room.
Both men were shaking and they both had pissed themselves.
Charlie was bleeding while sitting there on the floor.
When the single light came back on, Owens turned his head and glared at the group standing there watching them. “You lousy motherfucker,” Owens called out. His voice sounded scratchy and hoarse. “You left us here inside a shrinking room. That damn wall almost made us into bloody pulp.”
“Oh puhlease, spare us the theatrics,” Bane quipped. “Boo-hoo, I scared you silly.”
“You did more than just scare us—asshole,” Owens shouted as his voice broke. “Charlie tried to stop the wall by bracing his foot against it and it snapped his bone in half. He broke his fucking leg!”
Bane turned his head and studied Charlie Midland then he shook his head. “Not my fault. You should have known better, Charlie.”
“Yeah, it is your fault,” Charlie argued. “You aren’t exactly known for your compassion buddy. What other little secrets have you got here in this Godforsaken house of horrors?”
Bane chuckled. “Damn Charlie, you might be surprised at what’s in this house.
I’ve lived here most of my life and yet I still find some great places.
My grandfather, who was the best hitman ever known, was also a great designer and carpenter.
He had some interesting secrets, yes he sure did.
” Then he stopped and sniffed the air. He made a face and waved his hand.
“Did you piss your own pants, gentlemen? I must say, that is disgusting.”
Charlie growled, “You would too asshole if you thought you were going to be flattened into a wall. Steel doesn’t exactly bend with pressure.”
Bane shook his head and tisked. “Gentlemen, I don’t want you dead, not yet anyway. I want the day to come when I see you entering prison for the rest of your natural lives. Nothing would make me happier than just that.”
Jasper Owens just stood there glaring at him. “I will never go back to that hellhole. I would rather take a bullet than spend the rest of my life in a cell again.”
Bane nodded then reached for a weapon from his back waistband. He pulled it out and pointed it at him. “Is that a fact? You’d rather eat a bullet than go back and spend the rest of your life behind bars?”
Owens stood straighter and glared at Bane as if daring him to shoot.
Bane nodded. “Ok fine, lets go over what you’d miss if I pulled this trigger.
” He smiled wickedly. “You would miss the law going into the woods behind your place and taking your warehouse down. You’d miss them finding evidence that Charlie and your brother Spencer were planning on shutting you out of a big freakin’ deal when they sold stolen guns to our enemies.
You would even miss seeing your mom going before the parole board and getting denied for the last time.
You would miss seeing us take down your brothers.
Then the feds dragging him off to a cell and finally, the most fun would be that you would miss seeing us take down your brother’s army of mercenaries.
I mean GEE, do you really want to miss all that? ”
“I don’t have a brother, asshole. I’m an only child.” Owens just stood there and stared at Bane.
Bane smiled. “I know a lot more about you and your family than you think. Yes, you believe that you are the only child of John Henry Owens. Just like Spencer is the only child of Clifton Wagner and just like Lisbon Parks is the only child of Mitchell Parks. But the one thing all three of you have in common besides being low-life criminals is that Miranda Gaynor is your mother. Well, there is the fact that she was this coldass bitch who walked out on all three of you days after she gave you life. But more important than all of that is all three of you followed in your mother’s criminal footsteps. ”
Owen just stared at him then said, “You really are a piece of shit, you know that?”
Bane nodded like it was just fine to be one.
“Yeah, I’ve known that since the day I was born.
But damn, what did you grow up to do? Follow your mother and your brother into a jail cell.
Hell, it looks like your sister isn’t that far behind you all.
That’s almost worse than growing up like I did.
Only one problem with that, I never killed anyone that didn’t deserve to be dead.
You killed them for the green, to bolster your own pocket. ”
“And you never took money to make someone dead?” Owens scoffed.
Bane nodded. “Yeah, I got paid to make people dead, but I never killed anyone that didn’t need killing and I never killed a woman or a child.
I’m not throwing stones here. I can’t really because most people I know say I have a glass house when it comes to that.
But I never committed treason by selling guns to an enemy of my country.
” Then he looked at Charlie, “Oh and Charlie? You’ll get medical assistance on our time, not yours.
You just hang in there ok?” Then Bane turned around and walked out of the room.
Everyone except for Charlie and Owens followed him.
The sound of the heavy lock echoed in the room behind them as they all walked away.