Seeking Vengeance (19 page)

Molly tried to push the memories away, what little she had, that is. Ever since that rally seven years ago, any time she thought of it, she focused on Kelsie. She wouldn’t undo the events of the rally if it meant that Kelsie wouldn’t exist, but she wished with all her heart now, that some magic could change things and Sam could be Kelsie’s father. Her daughter deserved someone like him.

She took a deep breath, struggling to squash the memories back into the mental box where she kept them under lock and key. Coming here had opened the box as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to it. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine being twenty-three again and excited to be around all the bikes and the tough guys. She’d attended that rally with a few friends, but at some point, their group had been separated. Later she found out they had gone for joyrides with a couple of bikers, but at the time, she’d wandered around looking for them, occasionally asking people if they’d seen the other girls. One inquiry had been to Howard’s group. Molly remembered being a little tipsy at the time, but the guys had offered her a few more drinks. She should have said no, but she was flattered by the attention. The guys had been surprisingly polite, and when Howard had put an arm around her shoulders, she’d been nervous, but covered her anxiety with a laugh. She only vaguely remembered Howard trying to convince her to leave with him.

The
next thing she recalled was hanging onto him as they raced along a two lane highway on his bike. He said something about taking her home, but the ride had taken a detour to some dingy motel that Molly could barely remember. She was foggy on the details and unable to recall if she had agreed to go with Howard, and that’s what drove her crazy. The memory was hazy and she didn’t know if she’d been given something in her drink or if she’d just drank more than she’d thought she had. Her next clear recollection was waking up at the hotel with Howard snoring beside her.

When she’d found out
she was pregnant she didn’t know what to do. Molly was young, but she wasn’t so naïve that she expected Howard to marry her. She hadn’t even planned on telling him, but he’d tracked her down months later, apparently having found out she was pregnant. Her cheeks burned at the remembered humiliation, just as they had that day. She took a sip of her soft drink. He’d looked at her big pregnant belly and then smirked at her. His only comment was he’d wanted to see if it was true. She never found out how he’d learned of the pregnancy. After that, she had never spoken to him again, but surprisingly, after Kelsie’s birth, he had sent a few gifts, including what became Kelsie’s favorite stuffed animal, Tiger. It was that act that had kept Molly from completely hating him.

Molly tore herself away from the past. What if she had missed Sam or Johnny because she had been lost in thought? She didn’t think she had, but still, she had to pay attention. She turned, and stopped short. There he was. Not Johnny, or Sam, but
like a ghost from the past and almost as if she had conjured him up with her thoughts, stood Ray Howard. The instant she saw him, he spotted her as well. At first, he squinted as if unsure, but then he smiled and ambled her way.

S
am kept in the shadows just outside of the beer tent. He sat on a barstool pulled up to a small high-topped round table. A dozen of them had been set up around the tent for those who wanted to drink outside. It was a make-shift beer garden, with strands of white lights strung between poles sunk into the earth. It formed an enclosed space, but still gave a view of the concourse. He had pulled his table a little deeper into the corner and had moved the other three stools that went with it to other tables. He didn’t want anyone to join him, and the stools had quickly been claimed at the other tables so there weren’t any extra anyway. The last thing he needed was some chatty motorcycle enthusiast striking up a conversation. If the Ravens were here, they would eventually make their way to the tent.

Johnny was inside and had called Sam, saying he’d already put down four glasses of beer. Sam gave a little shake of his head as he put his phone away after telling Johnny there was no sign of them yet. If Johnny drank any more he’d be too wasted to follow the plan. At the first sign of any of Ravens, Sam was going to call Johnny and warn him. Sam had instructed him to catch their attention, but then leave the tent. Hopefully, they’d follow him. Sam and Johnny had parked as close to the tent as they could, but they were still about a block away. Sam counted on the Ravens not wanting to do anything in public, but they would follow Johnny in hopes of catching him alone and away from the rally. However, he was only to leave the tent if Howard was in the group. It would do Sam no good if only the low level guys showed up.

Sam’s role would depend on how the Ravens reacted. His darkest wish was that Howard would threaten Johnny, but only so Sam would have the law on his side when he killed the man. If Howard didn’t make an attempt, then Johnny was supposed to act scared and beg that The Ravens spare him if he can give them an ATF agent. Sam would be that agent, of course. When Howard found out who Johnny was going to give them, chances were good he’d let Johnny go. Sam was worth more to them than the amount of drugs Johnny had lost, and besides, if he killed everyone who screwed up a drug run, nobody would risk it anymore. Failed smuggling attempts were a cost of doing business, and Howard should know that.

The hardest part would be how Johnny could explain how he knew Sam, and then Sam realized the truth was probably the best bet. They’d leave Molly out of it, just saying that Sam had saved Johnny’s hide the last time. Johnny could just claim he was up visiting a girlfriend and had come to the rally and spotted Sam and talked to him for a few moments. Sam had rigged a campsite off an old fire road. It wasn’t a legal campsite, but he figured the few hours he needed it, it would be safe from discovery. Police and forest rangers were too tied up with the rally to worry about one lone campsite.

When they showed up at an old forest road that led to a small pond where Sam had his campsite, he would be waiting. Sam would try to get a confession out of Howard first. The day before he had bought a pre-paid phone and had arranged for Dave, his partner from the ATF, to answer it and record the call. Since Sean’s death, Sam had neglected his friendship with Dave. It had been too painful to hear Dave casually mention something one of his kids did in school, or something funny one of them did. Sam’s face burned at the memory of his breakdown the night of Sean’s funeral and how Cynthia, Dave’s wife, had witnessed it. Had she told Dave about it? She probably had, not that his friend had ever mentioned it. Dave had just said that whenever Sam needed something, to let him know. Well, now he needed something, and Dave had been happy to help. Sam set aside his embarrassment and concentrated on the plans for Howard.

Sam had purchased a small camera usually called a nanny cam, the day before after taking a long drive to the closest electronics store. The camera was designed to be used to wat
ch child-care givers, and Sam had it already rigged to the front of his tent. It was hidden inside a rolled sleeping bag that looked like it was just tossed on the ground. He’d wanted a live feed to Dave, but hadn’t had time to get that set up. The phone recording would be good enough should something happen to Sam. The guy was a tech guru and would have no problem making that happen. With luck, they’d get it all recorded and no matter what happened after that, the recording would be safe.

Then Sam would attempt to arrest Howard while Dave stood by with Kendall's police on speed dial,
ready to send back-up to Sam. The biggest worry for Sam was Johnny’s safety. It was going to be tricky. Sam was counting on Howard forgetting about Johnny when confronted by Sam, and in the confusion, Johnny could fade into the woods. Sam had instructed him to only go about twenty feet in, and then lie flat. The woods were thick and pitch-black. Chances were good they’d never find him. He could always call the police later if he became lost. While it was remote out here, there were plenty of lake homes scattered in the woods. He’d run across one eventually.

With any luck at all, Sam’s plan would work and Johnny wouldn’t have to worry about the Ravens ever again as they would be locked up—at least the one who ran the show would be. Sam was confident the
rest of the gang would break apart without Howard’s leadership, plus once law enforcement dug into Howard’s background, they were sure to find plenty to pin on the other members as well. With plea bargains to testify against Howard, there was no way any of them would ever ride together again. Sam took a deep breath and blew it out. The plan should work and soon Howard would either be dead or in jail.

Sam’s phone rang and he saw it was Johnny. Damn that kid. It was already the third time he’d called.

“I don’t think they’re here, Sam.”

Basically, Johnny was bored. Too damn bad. “Just sit tight. It’s still pretty early.” Sam glanced around, his gaze freezing on a woman with dark curly hair. No…it had to be a trick of the light. Molly was back at the cabin with Kelsie. “I gotta go, Johnny. I think I see something.” He clicked off, and stood, ignoring the table as it wobbled. The woman stood with a drink in her hand and seemed to be searching for someone. Her back was to Sam, but the build and height were identical to Molly’s. He started forward, intending to get a closer look and if it was her, to warn her away. As Sam shouldered through the crowd in the beer garden, a man from the other side of the concourse moved towards her. She backed up a few steps, and as the man came closer, Sam recognized him.
Howard
.

Sam quickened his step, all thoughts of the plan forgotten. His only thought was to get the woman who might be Molly, and get her away from the man. A group of five or six young guys entered the beer garden just as Sam was attempting to leave. He had to step aside and when he exited, Howard was only a few steps from the woman, and as he reached her, he threw an arm around her shoulders and drew her close. Although the woman stiffened, she didn’t try to escape Howard’s grasp. Instead, she shrugged at something Howard said to her. Then she did move away, but only a few steps. He couldn’t hear the woman, but he could hear Howard booming voice as he asked, “So, how’s my daughter?”

Then she turned in profile, and Sam staggered to a halt as his breath whooshed out as if he’d been sucker punched.
Molly
?
And Howard
?

* * *

Molly shrugged off Howard arm. He reeked of whiskey and body odor. “
Your
daughter? You’ve never even seen her.”

“Oh, I’ve seen her. Cute little thing.” Howard smirked. “She looks like a mini version of you.” He plucked at one of Molly’s curls and his touch made her shudder. “I see she still has that dog I sent as a gift when she was born.”

His words raised goose bumps on her arms. The only time Tiger had been out of the house was the day Kelsie had taken the stuffed dog in for show and tell. The very same day Sam had first been in her home. Did he know about Sam, too? Why had Howard been watching her house? “She has no idea where the stuffed dog came from, so don’t flatter yourself that she keeps it for sentimental reasons.”

“But doesn’t every little girl deserve to have a daddy?” His stench threatened to make her vomit as a breeze wafted it her way.

“Kelsie is a happy little girl and has other father-figures in her life. She certainly doesn’t need you complicating matters.”

“Oh? A father figure?” He threw his head back and laughed. “You mean your
brother
? That sorry excuse for a man?”

“You…you know my brother?” While Molly knew all about Johnny’s relationship with the Ravens and presumably Howard, how did he know that Johnny was her brother? As far as she knew, there shouldn’t have been a connection at all, especially since they didn’t share the same last name and never had.

“You bet your ass I do. We have unfinished business, and a couple of my guys followed him right to your house.”

“My house? You stay away from Kelsie. Please. I’ve never asked anything of you. All I want is to be left alone.”

“I might be persuaded to stay out of her life if you tell me where your brother is hiding.” He gripped Molly’s arm, his fingers digging into the flesh on the inside of her bicep. She winced and tried to jerk her arm out of his grasp. “Once he returns what he has of mine, I’ll forget all about Kelsie. Is he up here with you? This is a little outta your neck of the woods—whatchya doin’ up here? Looking for another biker to make a baby with?” He released Molly with a sneering laugh. “Maybe we should try our luck again? After all, we made such a pretty one the first time and had fun doing it.”

“You know, I don’t remember a thing about sleeping with you so it couldn’t have been all that fun. I guess you could say you certainly didn’t rock my world.” Not only did she want to deflect the conversation from Kelsie, but she hoped it would distract him from asking about Johnny anymore. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I see my group up there and I have to catch up.” She didn’t wait for his reply, but just rushed towards a group of women who seemed to be heading for the
porta-potties. She mingled with the group, and then joined another small group as they headed back down the concourse. Molly couldn’t see Howard anywhere, and decided she must have lost him.

Now she really had to find Sam and Johnny and warn them about Howard. She had hoped Victoria had been wrong about seeing the bikers in town, but that hope had been put to rest.

* * *

Sam’s first instinct was to storm the twenty feet between him and Molly and ask her what the hell was going on, but his law enforcement training kicked in. Choking back his anger and hurt, he ducked back into the beer garden and watched between the strands of lights. He slid his phone out and called Johnny, warning him about Howard. As he put his phone back in his pocket, Howard grabbed Molly’s arm and despite Sam’s anger, he moved towards the entrance once again. No way he could stand by and watch Molly get manhandled and do nothing about it, but before he could get through the crowd, Molly had pulled free and taken off at a brisk pace and he lost her in the crowd.

Torn between wanting to follow her and completing his mission, Sam hesitated. So many questions coursed through his mind. Had Howard been serious when he’d made the comment about Kelsie being his daughter? If it was true, how could Molly keep that from him? He didn’t have time to spend thinking about it any longer as Howard entered the beer garden. He scanned the crowd but didn’t seem to know anyone. Sam wondered where his biker friends were. Surely he hadn’t come to the rally by himself? Sam tugged his ball cap lower. He didn’t think Howard would recognize him since the last time they had seen each other, but he didn’t want to take a chance. Not yet. He needed to get him alone first.

Howard entered the tent and Sam hoped Johnny followed the plan. Sam peeked inside the tent and saw Howard approach Johnny. Backing away, Johnny’s face twisted with fear. It was no act.
Shit
. Sam edged into the tent and took a place at a table behind and to the left of Howard. He tried to catch Johnny’s eye and let him know he was there, but the kid’s eyes were glued to Howard.

Straining to hear their conversation, Sam caught a few words here and there. Howard was asking if Johnny had what he owed him. Johnny shook his head, and held up his hands. What were they saying? Sam had to take a risk and get closer. There was another table beside Johnny’s. Sam moved to it, keeping his back to Howard. He could hear them now.

“I don’t care what sorry excuse you have. I want my money or the product.” Howard’s voice was just as evil and gravelly as Sam remembered.

“The mule was caught. What was I supposed to do?”

Howard snorted and said, “You should have done a better job of arranging the shipment.”

“I’m sorry I suck at this, but it’s not like I had a choice.” Johnny sounded so pathetic, Sam almost felt sorry for him. “I didn’t exactly volunteer. You said my sister would have an accident if I didn’t follow your directions.”

Sam had to fight the urge to glance back. The bastard made the young inexperienced guys do the dirty work, so if they were caught, Howard’s hands were clean. There was no paper trail to him and so far, he’d been able to evade all charges. Maybe there was a chance they could work out some kind of deal for Johnny.

“You were the new guy. Think of it as initiation. It’s what we do.”

“I just wanted to ride my bike.” Johnny sounded lost and forlorn.