CHAPTER Five
Cole had his back to a tree trunk, and Angel wrapped in his arms, nestled between his legs. His blanket was thrown over them. Someone nudged his leg with a boot. He squinted up into the early morning light.
“We’re headin’ out.”
“Yeah. Okay,” Cole replied quietly. He watched as his two brothers walked off toward their bikes. He pulled Angel closer. A moment later, he heard the engines fire up.
Cole’s gaze took in the yard and field around them. Everyone appeared to be passed out. The bonfire was smoldering. As he heard the engines fade into the distance, he kept watch, making sure no one followed them out. Pulling his cell out of his pocket, he flipped it open. 5am.
Angel stirred. She opened her eyes, and tilted her head to look up at him.
Cole leaned down, and kissed her lightly. “Go back to sleep, baby doll. We’ve got hours yet.”
She snuggled against him and soon drifted off again.
Within the hour, Cole’s cell phone vibrated. He flipped it open, and put it to his ear. “Yeah.”
He quietly listened to the report. They’d found the rest area. Overgrown. Far enough off the road. Perfect setup. An underpass just before it. Perfect place for the rest to wait, unseen.
Cole ended the call, and flipped his phone closed. He stroked Angel’s back, looking down at her, wondering how he was going to let her go when this was over.
“Cole?” she whispered.
“Hmm?”
“That guy last night?”
“Yeah?”
“What if he already gave the feds something?”
“He didn’t.”
“How do you know for sure?”
His hand stopped stroking her back. “A man tends to tell the truth when his fingers are being cut off.”
She sat up, twisting to look at him. “I…I didn’t hear any screams. The music…”
He stared at her, but made no excuses.
“Is he…”
“He didn’t suffer long.”
“I think I’m going to be sick.” She pushed out of his arms, and crawled around the tree.
Cole stood up, and went to her. He squatted down next to Angel, and held her hair as she emptied her stomach. When she was done, he handed her a bottle of water to rinse her mouth out. “You okay?”
She shook her head no.
Cole took a deep breath, and looked at the horizon. “This isn’t done yet.” He looked back at her, his face blank, his expression carefully remote. “I promised you two more. Today.”
She looked away.
“And they deserve it,” he reminded her. Reaching down, he pulled her to her feet. He slid his hands in her hair, and tilted her face up to his. “I forget how young you are. You gonna be okay with this?”
“I don’t know.”
“It’s what your father would do. You know that, don’t you?”
She stared at him.
“Think of all the other girls they’ve done this to. And there’ll be more. Doesn’t that turn your stomach?”
She nodded, and bent her head, about to break down.
He pulled her to his chest. “Come here, babe.” He held her a long time.
The rest of the crew began to stir. Crash was standing up stretching, popping his spine.
“Hey, Crash,” Cole called.
“Yeah, man?”
“Go inside. See if you can find us some coffee.”
“You got it, boss.”
A few minutes later, he was handing them each a Styrofoam cup full of steaming black coffee. “Hope you like it black. I couldn’t find any cream or sugar.”
“This is fine. Thank you,” Angel replied.
They moved to one of the picnic tables, and sat down to drink their coffees. The other guys soon joined them.
“You get the word?” Crash asked Cole.
“Yeah.” Cole filled them in on what they’d found out.
“Sounds perfect. We wait at the underpass for your signal.”
“Which will be?” one of the brothers asked.
“Couple of shots.”
“In the air?” Angel questioned.
“Or in them. Either way,” Crash suggested, a grin pulling at the corner of his mouth.
It was about 9:30am, and Cole was standing with Angel and Crash. The rest of the guys had already headed out to wait at the underpass.
“Here he comes,” Crash announced, indicating Chuck, who was walking toward them.
Cole turned, and addressed Chuck. “About time.”
“Just got the call. Said he should be there by 10am.”
“Good,” Cole replied. “Let’s head out now, then.”
Chuck noticed Crash. “I thought it was just gonna be you,” he said to Cole.
“The rest of the club already headed out. Crash is riding back with us,” Cole replied. He stared him down. “That a problem?”
“It’s just that I told him it would only be you and me. He doesn’t like surprises.
“It’ll be fine. You worry too much, Chucky. Come on. Let’s go. I’m tired of standing around here.”
“Yeah. Okay,” Chuck agreed, knowing that when a member of the Evil Dead spoke, if you were a member of the Dead Souls, you jumped. He headed off to his bike.
Cole, Angel and Crash were ready, and waiting for him when he pulled up.
“Lead the way,” Cole shouted over the revving engines. Chucky pulled out, and Cole and Crash fell in behind him.
As they passed over the underpass, Cole and Crash looked at each other, and nodded. Cole glanced back, and noticed one of his brothers walk a few feet out from under the overpass. Cole gave a thumbs up to Crash. Chucky was in front, and didn’t see any of this.
A few seconds later they were pulling off on an exit ramp to the rest area. A sign indicated it was closed. There were a couple of construction horses with flashing warning lights barricading the way, but they were easy to go around. Cole saw that even a vehicle would be able to get around them.
They proceeded down the exit, and followed it around a curve. Cole glanced around, and saw that they could not see the interstate any longer. They came to an area that divided the flow of traffic with a sign pointing cars to the left and trucks to the right. They followed Chuck to the left. There were diagonal marked parking spots along a sidewalk that fronted along an abandoned building that housed the restrooms and tourist information desk. It was all boarded up. The grass was overgrown, and weeds grew up in the cracks of the sidewalk. They were the only ones there.
Chuck stopped his bike in the lane.
Cole and Crash stopped behind him.
They all dismounted.
Chuck lit a cigarette. “So, patch over, man. Huh?”
Cole nodded. “Yeah. You ready to wear the angel-of-death on your back?”
“Ready? Hell, lookin’ forward to it.”
“Right.” Cole slid a look to Crash, who rolled his eyes. Chuck missed the exchange. Cole continued with the small talk, wanting to distract Chuck from becoming suspicious. “So, how many guys you think will stay on?”
“Shit. Half those bastards will walk.”
“Really? That many?”
“Yeah. They think they’re tough. But when it comes down to it-”
The sound of an approaching vehicle had them all turning to look back toward the road. A moment later a white cargo van was heading toward them. It pulled up, and stopped.
Cole could see there was no one in the passenger seat. Good news. He glanced at Crash, as if to say ‘get ready’.
The driver door opened, and the driver got out. He came around the front of the van, and walked over to them. Cole sized him up. He was young. Probably late twenties. Asian, most likely Chinese. Had an attitude. Had his chin in the air.
“Ling, this is Cole.” Chuck made the introductions. “Cole, Ling.”
“I understand you provide a ‘special product’,” Cole stated.
“Depends. What do you need?” Ling asked.
“What can you get us?” Cole countered.
Ling stared him down.
Cole stared right back.
“Caught me at a good time. Had a real good night’s work last night. Got plenty of inventory.” Ling jerked his head back toward the van.
Cole glanced back at the van, and then over at Crash. F*ck! He wasn’t counting on this. He’d assumed Ling would come alone.
Ling walked over to the back of the van.
The guys followed, knowing they were going to have to play this up.
Ling pulled the doors open. “Take your pick. You want blonde, brunette, redhead. Hell, I got it all.”
Cole and Crash looked inside the van. It was crowded with young girls, all handcuffed and gagged. There were three on each side, leaning against the walls of the van.
Cole slid a stunned look back at Crash, and then said to Ling, “Holy shit! You weren’t kiddin’.”
Crash whistled. “You got some nice stuff.”
“How much?” Cole asked.
“Thousand a piece.”
Cole whistled. “That’s kind of steep.”
“This is primo stuff, man,” Ling insisted. “Young and fresh.”
Chuck piped in. “Oh, no doubt about that. He already had a chance to sample your product.” Chuck glanced over at Angel, who was standing back by the bikes.
Ling looked over at her, and nodded. “Right. I remember that one.”
Cole gave Chuck a deadly look. “Keep your Goddamn mouth shut, Chucky.”
Chuck closed his mouth.
Cole looked again at the girls. He bet some of them couldn’t be more than fifteen or sixteen.
“You interested or not? I got places to be,” Ling pressured.
Cole looked at Ling, and smiled. The little weasel. He was going to take real pleasure in ending his life. “Sure. I’m interested. How much for all of ‘em?”
Ling looked surprised, but he only hesitated a moment. “All of ‘em?”
“Yeah. Quantity discount.”
“Five grand.”
“Can you get more?” Cole asked.
Ling looked from Cole to Crash. “Yeah. Sure. How many we talkin’ about?”
“Need twelve or fifteen. To start.” Cole crossed his arms.
Ling smiled.
“This may be a long term relationship, Ling. Do we have a deal?” Cole held his hand out.
Ling reached to shake his hand.
What happened next, happened so fast that Angel couldn’t believe it. Cole was shaking Ling’s hand, and then he yanked Ling toward him, flung him against the open van door, twisting his arm behind his back, and stuck a gun in his side.
At the same time, Crash pulled a gun, and had it aimed at Chuck’s forehead. He ordered Chuck to drop his weapons, and watched as Chuck pulled a gun from under his cut, and it clattered to the pavement. Then he pulled another that was stuffed in the back waist of his jeans. Then he pulled a knife from his boot, and dropped it as well. Crash patted him down.
Cole did the same with Ling, keeping him face first in the van door. Then he aimed the gun at the back of Ling’s head.
Crash fired off two shots in the air.
“What the hell is this?” Ling demanded.
“Your dirty little business is being shut down,” Cole replied in Ling’s ear.
Chuck had his hands up in the air. “What the f*ck, man? I was trying to help you. What the f*ck are you doing?”
“Shut the f*ck up, you piece of shit,” Cole yelled back at him.
“But, we’re patching over. We’re gonna be brothers, man.”
“You and me ain’t never gonna share a patch, a*shole,” Cole replied.
“You’re gonna bring hell down on you, man. You’re making a big f*ckin’ mistake. When Wyatt finds out about this-”
Cole smiled at him. “Wyatt knows, and he’s fine with it.”
“What?”
“He’s tired of your sick little habit, Chucky.”
The roar of motorcycles filled the air, and five bikes came around the curve.
“Oh, shit,” Chuck whispered.
Cole smiled at him. “Yeah. ‘Oh, shit’ is right.” Then he stepped closer to Chuck, and whispered in his ear, “Did you really think I’d let you live after what you did to her?”
The other five brothers got off their bikes, guns drawn. Soon Ling and Chuck were face down on the pavement.
Cole moved to stand over Ling. “Where are the keys to the handcuffs?”
Ling didn’t reply.
Cole kicked him in the ribs with his boot. “You’re only gonna make this worse for yourself, which actually would be fine with me. That’s how you want it, I’m only too happy to oblige.”
“My right pocket.”
One of the guys dug through it, and pulled out a set of keys, and tossed them to Cole. Cole passed them to Crash, and nodded toward the van. “Get them out.”
“You got it.”
Cole looked over at Angel, and motioned her over.
She walked over to him, her arms crossed, hugging herself.
Cole could tell she was pretty shaken up.
She looked down at Ling.
“This him?” Cole asked, looking down at Ling, and back to her face.
She nodded.
He looked into her eyes. “Okay.”
She glanced into the back of the van, and froze. “My God.”
Cole turned, and looked back. “Yeah.”
She put her hand to her mouth.
“They’re the lucky ones. They get to go home today.”
Angel looked back at Cole, and nodded, her eyes filling with tears.
He pulled her into his arms. “Come here. It’s gonna be okay.”
She nodded.
He leaned his face close to hers. “I need you to help me. Take them over by the building. There’s some bottled water in my saddlebag. Take care of them. Explain to ‘em that we’re not gonna hurt ‘em. Okay? Can you do that?”
“Sure.” She pulled out of his arms, and took a deep breath.
Crash had them all out of the van, and un-cuffed. After he passed them into Angel’s care, he came over with two sets of the cuffs, and put them on Chuck and Ling.
Angel moved the girls off to the building.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Crash asked in a whisper, “Shit, Cole! Now what the f*ck do we do?”
“I know. I wasn’t counting on this.” Cole shook his head, trying to think. “If we call the cops, Ling will give up his connection with Chuck, and the Souls, and us bein’ here at this meeting, they’ll hang it on us, too.”
“Cops? No, f*ckin’ way. That ain’t gonna happen!” Crash was emphatic.
Cole stared at him, and shook his head. “I’m not letting Ling go.”
“What the f*ck are you saying? Double murder with six witnesses?” Crash asked, pointing back toward the building. “You can’t be serious!”
“We get rid of the witnesses,” Red Dog suggested.
Cole gave him a look. “We’re not hurting the girls, a*shole.”
“Just a suggestion.”
Cole stared over at the group of girls huddled by the building, considering his options. He turned back to his brothers. “Look, we take the girls back to Wyatt. They don’t see anything. They don’t know anything. Once they’re gone, Chuck, Ling, the van, they all disappear.”
“What if the girls talk?” Crash asked.
“I don’t know, man. We make sure they know that would be a real bad idea. Anybody else got a better solution? I’m all ears,” Cole snapped.
No one said anything.
“Are we together on this, boys?” Cole asked, looking around at all their faces.
“Yeah.”
“Sure.”
“Whatever.”
“I hope to hell you know what you’re doing,” Crash added.
Cole nodded, and looked back at the girls.
Angel had her arm around one of the younger girls, and was trying to calm her down. Most of them were crying, but she had convinced them that they were safe now, and would soon be back with their families.
The guys walked back to where she was waiting with the girls.
Cole looked at them all. He could tell they were still frightened. “No one here is going to hurt you. We’re going to get you home.”
“So, how will we get back? Are you going to call the police?” one of the girls asked.
“No. No police, darlin’.” Cole smiled. “You’ll ride on the back of the bikes.”
“With them?” she asked, looking at the guys.
“Yeah. With them.”
“It’ll be alright, girls,” Angel assured them. “I know they hardly look like knights in shining armor, but they did just ride in and rescue you.”
Cole turned back to his brothers. “Pick one.”
They each moved toward the bunch, and grabbed a girl by the hand, and led her toward their bike.
Cole smiled, watching his brothers trying to handle them gently. He thought he even heard Red Dog say ‘there, there, now little lady’. Then he turned back to Angel, and smiled. “Knights in shining armor?”
Angel shrugged.
When the girls were out of ear shot, Cole bent close to Angel’s face. “Look, this didn’t exactly go as planned. These girls…” he broke off, shaking his head. “They can’t talk. If they do-”
“I know. I know. They’ll end up dead.”
“Exactly.” He stared at her. “You gotta help me persuade ‘em.”
She nodded. “I’ll make sure.”
“They’re gonna run ‘em back up to Wyatt. Then come back, and we’ll take care of the rest of this.”
She looked over his shoulder to the van and the two men laying face down on the pavement.
Cole took her by the hand, and walked her back over toward the van.
They watched as the six bikes, each with a scared, young girl on the back, pulled out.
Cole sat down on the curb, and pulled Angel down beside him. He knew that every minute they stayed here increased the risk. He needed a good place to get rid of these guys, and the van. This site was no good. If any of those girls did talk, and somehow was able to describe this place, he didn’t want them leading the cops right to the bodies. Cole walked over to the van, and rummaged through the glove box. He came walking back with a road map. He unfolded it, and found their location on the map, then he studied the surrounding areas.
About half an hour later, three of the bikes returned. Crash, Red Dog and Green, who they’d knick-named for his Irish heritage.
Angel watched as the guys loaded Chuck’s bike in the back of the cargo van. It took all four of them to lift the six hundred pound bike up, and get it in. Red Dog slammed the back door shut. They walked over to Ling and Chuck.
Cole looked down at Chuck. “Take his cut off him.”
They stripped it off him, and tossed it to Cole.
“Let’s go,” Cole said. They yanked Chuck and Ling to their feet, and dragged them toward the back of the van, and threw them inside with the motorcycle. Cole picked up a roll of duct tape from the floor of the van, and taped their mouths shut. He slammed the doors shut, and turned to his brothers. “I found us a place.”
The guys all nodded. They got back on their bikes, and sat waiting.
Cole walked over to Angel. “Look, I need you to drive the van.”
She looked past him to the van. “What?”
“I wouldn’t involve you, but the rest of us have to get these bikes out of here. There’s no one to drive the van, but you, babe.”
“Where?”
He smiled, and kissed her forehead. “Come on.” He led her over to the driver side door, and opened it.
She climbed in.
He handed her the keys.
She turned, and glanced back, and saw the two men crammed in on the other side of the bike. She knew they were handcuffed, but it was still terrifying knowing they were right behind her.
“Angel.”
She turned, and looked at Cole.
“It’ll be okay. We’re right here with you.”
She nodded.
“Follow behind me. But not too close.” He grinned. “Don’t run me over.”
She started the engine, and waited. She watched Cole walk back to his bike, and stuff Chuck’s cut in his saddlebag. The four bikes revved to life, and then Cole roared past her. She pulled out after him, with the other three falling in behind her. They got back on the interstate, and took it down to the next exit.
Cole led them down a desolate road for several miles. He made another turn onto what was more like a trail than a road. There were two tire tracks with grass growing in the middle and woods on both sides. Soon they were deep in the woods. Cole stopped, and dismounted.
Angel brought the van to a stop, and got out, not wanting to spend another minute in it with those two men.
Cole headed off on foot into the woods on the left. He returned a few minutes later. He walked to the back of the van, and pulled the doors open.
“Find a place?” Green asked.
“Yeah. There’s a ravine back there.”
They pulled the guys out. Chuck was moaning something behind the duct tape. With a brother on either arm, they hauled them deep into the woods.
Angel stood by the van. It got very quiet. She could hear the wind blowing through the trees, and birds chirping in the distance. After a few minutes had passed, the silence was broken by several gunshots. Pop, pop. Pop, pop. Angel jumped. She closed her eyes, and tried to remember that they deserved this.
When the men returned, Cole got in the van, and drove it further down the trail, and disappeared.
Angel stood next to his bike. She couldn’t bring herself to look at the others. Not because she was disgusted by what they’d done, but because she felt ashamed. She felt a part in this. They were doing this for Cole, and Cole was doing this for her. To appease her, so she wouldn’t bring the law down on them all. Was this really what she had wanted? Two murders? Then she thought about those girls, and all the other girls like her that had come before, that maybe didn’t make it out alive. And her resolve hardened.
“Darlin’, they deserved it,” Crash said to her quietly.
She looked at him, and then nodded. A branch snapped, and she saw Cole walking back up the lane. When he got to her, he didn’t say anything, just got on the bike, and pulled her helmet out of the saddlebag, and handed it to her. She got on, and they headed back to the interstate.
Soon they were pulling back into the Dead Souls clubhouse. They parked, and dismounted. The place was empty compared to the last few nights.
Angel followed Cole. The six girls were sitting at one of the picnic tables. The other three brothers were sitting on the porch steps.
Cole nodded toward the girls. “Talk to ‘em.”
Angel nodded.
Cole walked up the porch steps.
Angel turned, and looked at the girls. She took a deep breath. She wasn’t sure exactly what to say. She walked over, and sat down on the end of the picnic table, the girls scooting over to make room for her. She looked around at all their faces. She looked down, and then cleared her throat. “That guy? The one that took you?”
Some of the girls that were looking down, turned, and looked at her.
“He…” she swallowed. “He took me, too.”
“What?”
“You?”
She looked around, and saw the stunned looks on their faces. “I went with some friends to a party. I think something was put in my drink. I woke up in that van, handcuffed.” She held up her arms, showing them her bruised wrists. She heard some of them suck their breath in. She looked at their faces. “He sold me to another guy that beat, and raped me. I was kept in those handcuffs for three days. He planned to leave me for dead out in the desert, still handcuffed.” She looked around, and saw tears rolling down some of their faces. “But Cole, he saved me. He saved you, too.”
“I was at a party, too,” whispered the girl across form her.
Angel looked around at all their faces. “That Chinese guy? Does anyone else here, besides me, want that son-of-a-bitch dead?”
Everyone of them raised their hands.
“Cole and his friends saved us. But if any of you go to the cops, and tell them what happened to you, they are going to come after these guys.” She nodded toward the porch. “These guys that helped you. Helped you for nothing in return.”
“So, this guy, just…what? Gets away with it?” asked one of the girls.
“He isn’t getting away with it. I promise you that. But, would you want the man that kills him for you to go to prison for it?” she asked them.
“No,” the girl responded.
“Will you all keep your mouth shut, and let justice be done? Or would you rather call the police, and after an embarrassing trial, maybe, just maybe the guy does a few years in jail. Then he’s back on the street again. Free to do it again to another girl. Or to come back looking for one of you?”
That scared them.
“I know how I feel about it. I hope you all feel the same.” She stood, and walked away. She went up on the porch, and walked over to Cole, who was sitting on the railing at the far end, smoking a cigarette. “I did my best.”
“How’d they take it?”
She glanced over her shoulder at them. “I think they understand. Maybe you need to put the fear of God in them.”
Cole looked down at the cigarette in his hand. “Yeah.”
“Or maybe you could use your charm on them. I hear you have a real way with all the ladies.” She smiled.
“Way with the ladies?” he asked. “Doubtful. Where’d you hear that?”
She smiled. “Crystal.”
He tossed his cigarette over the railing. “Crystal needs to keep her mouth shut,” he grumbled.
“Sweet-talk them. Tell them what they want to hear, even if you don’t mean it. Look into their eyes with those baby blues of yours.”
“Yeah. Right,” he scoffed.
“Come on. You’re a good looking guy.”
“Now who’s charming who?” He stood up. “Well, let me go see which works.” He leaned down, and kissed her.
“Try the charm first. Finish up with the fear.”
“Yeah.” He turned, and walked away.
Angel leaned against a support post, and watched as his boots pounded down the porch steps.
Cole walked up to the picnic table. “Hey, ladies. You doin’ okay?” He looked around the table. Some nodded. Some wouldn’t look at him. He leaned down on the end of the table, his palms flat, and looked in their eyes. “I’m sorry about what happened to you. Real sorry. I’d give anything for it not to have happened. What that guy did…” Cole shook his head, and continued. “What he was planning to do, to beautiful, sweet, young girls like you, he doesn’t deserve to walk the earth.”
“No, he doesn’t,” the blonde on the end agreed.
Cole’s gaze landed on her a moment, then continued around the table. “Women should be protected, taken care of. A man that abuses a woman, he’s the worse kind in my book.” He straightened up, his voice calm and quiet. “We’re gonna get you all home now. I just need to make one thing clear. It’s very important that you don’t say anything about what happened to you. Tell your families you went to a party, and passed out or something. You can’t talk about this. To anyone. Do you understand?”
He looked around at all their faces. Most nodded. The one on the end did not. “I took a big risk getting involved in this shit. And I did it to save you. Because I couldn’t stand the thought of what that guy was going to do to all of you. Do you even understand what he had planned?” His gaze moved around the table, staring into each of their eyes. “He was going to sell you into white slavery. Do you know what that means? You’d have been beaten. Raped. Repeatedly. Most of you probably would have ended up dead.” He paused to let that sink in, before he continued. “But, if you talk, the cops will come here looking to pin this on us. I can’t let that happen. You understand? It would seem very ungrateful on your part.”
They all murmured that they wouldn’t say anything. All except the blonde. Cole walked around the table, talking as he walked. “If you talk, it will be the worse mistake you could make.” He reached the girl at the end, and squatted down next to her, and looked in her face. “What’s your name, darlin’?”
“Shannon.”
“Shannon. That’s a real pretty name. For a real pretty girl.” He brushed the back of his hand down her cheek. “Pretty girl like you should never be treated like that. I hate what happened to you. I’d hate for anything else bad to happen to you. But, Shannon, if you talk, I will find you, and I will kill you. Do you understand?”
She stared, wide-eyed at him.
“Do you understand?” he shouted at her.
She jumped, and nodded, shaking.
He stood up, and walked away.
He rejoined Angel on the porch. “How’d I do?” he asked her.
“I think you got your message across.”
He looked back. “I hope so. I don’t want to regret this.” He left her, and went inside to talk to Wyatt.
Angel walked back to the table. “I think we are going to be leaving soon to take you all home.”
“How? On those bikes again?” the blonde asked.
“I guess so. I think it’s the only way. There aren’t any vehicles up here,” Angel answered her.
“The bikes weren’t so bad,” one of them added.
“What do you care how you get home? Just be grateful you’re not still in that van!” another girl turned, and snapped at the blonde.
Cole walked out onto the porch with Wyatt. Angel watched as they slapped each other on the back. Cole walked toward her, the rest of the guys followed.
“Ready, ladies?” he asked.
“Yes, they’re ready.” Angel spoke for them.
“Let’s ride.” He took Angel by the hand, and headed to his bike. The rest of the guys followed, each with a girl.