Seeking Vengeance (17 page)

* * *

Sam paced the living room.
Since coming home the night before, he’d decided that maybe it would be a good idea to get his field office in the loop. He’d had no luck on his own at finding Howard. As much as it killed him, he might have to see if he could get any help, either officially, or perhaps from his friend, Dave.

If the Special Agent in Charg
e of the Chicago ATF office—Sam and Dave’s boss—didn’t agree, Sam would have to call the whole thing off. He had pleaded to go after the Ravens immediately after the funerals of his son and mother, but was denied. He requested again after seven months, but again, the SAC had refused. He said Sam was too close to the case, his grief still too acute. So, the bureau had plodded along with their investigation, but it was going nowhere. At least it seemed that way to Sam. While he wasn’t able to participate, he saw the memos. The ATF’s special arson lab had determined that the cause of the fire that took Sam’s family was definitely arson, but that was as far as it got. They didn’t have enough evidence as to who had started the fire and who had ordered it.

Sam
rolled his shoulders, and tilted his head to work out a kink. He stalked to the window and stared at his dusty bike parked in the drive behind Molly’s vehicle. He’d missed the bike. The one he’d picked up hadn’t felt right to him and he’d let Johnny ride the new bike back. Johnny’s bike now took up space in Tuck’s garage. Johnny’s motorcycle was too big of an identifier. Letting the drapes fall back together, he thought about why his mindset had changed. He no longer had a fatalistic frame of mind. He had a reason to continue living. The reason had curly dark hair and a smile that could light up even the darkest room. He smiled and sighed. Part of him worried his feelings were too intense too soon. Was this just a rebound of sorts? Was it just a way to avoid his grief by immersing himself in a relationship? When he thought of Molly and the sparkle in her eyes, he didn’t think it was. It felt too real. They both had tried to deny their feelings and relationship, but he’d missed her the few days he’d been gone.

After cr
isscrossing the state of Wisconsin and hitting up their favorite hangouts that Sam recalled from his days in the motorcycle gang, they had come up empty. The only clue he really had was from Victoria, and that was far from concrete. Sam decided they needed more information, and the only place he thought he might get up-to-date intelligence was from the ATF.

* * *

“Dave…it’s me,” Sam said, as he paced the beach. He’d wanted privacy to make the call, and early morning, the lake was still and peaceful. Birds called out and soaring overhead was a bald eagle. Somewhere around the bend in the bay, a fishing boat droned, but the sound was distant. “I need some help.”

“Sam! It’s great to hear from you. How the hell are you?”

Sam smiled at Dave’s enthusiasm. “I’m okay.” And he realized as he said the words that he really was okay. Better than he had been in a long time.

“Where are you? I tried calling your apartment but the line was disconnected. I was thinking about putting out an APB on you.” Although Dave sounded like he was joking, Sam heard the underlying concern.

“I went undercover—“

“Undercover? You mean you aren’t on leave anymore?”

“Um, not exactly. I’m on leave, but I was doing my own little operation.”

Dave sighed into the phone. “Sam…”

There it was again, the pity that Sam had come to detest. “No, it’s okay, Dave. It’s not what you think.” Sam shrugged. “Well, it
kind
of is, but not exactly what you’re thinking.” He went on to explain about his encounter with the Ravens and saving Johnny’s ass, along with their subsequent escape to Sam’s cabin. When he got to the part about Molly, he tried to skim over it by just saying he had brought Johnny’s sister and niece here too, and that it was necessary to keep them safe.”

“
I don’t have a good feeling about this, Sam. What can you possibly do on your own—legally that is?” Sam clenched his jaw. Dave probably guessed what the plan had been. Before he could answer, Dave continued, “Forget I asked that—I don’t want to know.”

“I’ll admit that I can’t guarantee that I’ll play by the rules when I find him, but…but there are complications now. I don’t want my actions to hurt anyone else.” He drew in a deep breath and tried to sound nonchalant as he explained, “I have a good incentive to do things the right way.”

There was a pause, and then Dave said, “Glad to hear it. You sound different, almost like your old self.”

Sam lifted one shoulder as he bent his head and kicked at a water-logged stick on the edge of the beach. “Yeah, well, I feel more like myself, but
don’t get too happy yet. I want revenge on Howard still. That won’t ever change and I won’t stop until I get him—one way or another.”

“I wish I had news on that front for you. You know they won’t let me do much with the case either, since they consider me too close to it too.”

“But you have more access than I do.”

“That’s true, and I’m sorry to admit that I haven’t inquired lately. It’s been tough going discussing the case like it’s a routine case, when…when, damn it, Sam—I loved Sean too! And your mom was like a second grandmother to my kids.” There was a catch in Dave’s voice and
Sam closed his eyes and sank onto his haunches, rubbing his forehead between his thumb and fingers. It had never occurred to him that the tragedy had affected his best friend. Since Sean’s death, he’d cut Dave out of his life. It was too painful. Dave was like the brother Sam had never had, and he couldn’t count the number of holidays he had celebrated with Dave’s family. Sean had once even asked if Dave’s kids were his cousins.

“I’m sorry, Dave. I…didn’t think about how all of this affected you, Cynthia and the kids. I should have. I miss you guys.”

Dave cleared his throat, the sound loud in Sam’s ear. “No apologies necessary and you should know that. We miss you, too. The kids ask about their Uncle Sam all the time.”

Dave’s kids had called him Uncle Sam one time in all innocence, not knowing the patriotic image the name inspired, and after it was explained, they had used the moniker whenever they saw him. Sam chuckled. “Yeah, well tell them I hope to see them soon. Maybe you all can come up here for a weekend or something when all of this is over.”

“Sam, I hate to say it, but what if it’s never over? What if you can’t do whatever it is you want to do with Howard?
We
know Howard ordered the hit, but the guy who gave that information is dead. Without something else to go on, even if you find Howard, there’s not enough evidence to convict him. You’d need to get a confession or something, and good luck with that.”

“The informant is dead?” Sam grabbed another stick and stabbed it into the sand, gouging out a hole, his mind racing. How could he arrest Howard now? He had only reluctantly considered arresting
the man, wanting instead to mete out his own brand of justice, but now even arrest was off the table. Sam straightened and flung the stick into the gentle waves.”

“Yeah, he was killed in prison awaiting trial on another case.”

“Damn it.” Sam drew in a deep breath. “Well, I’m not sure what I’ll do now, but I’ll figure something out. I’ll try to play by the rules, but at the moment, I’m stuck anyway. I’ve been canvassing the state looking for the man, but haven’t had any luck. If you hear of anything, will you let me know?”

“I will. Let me jot down this number you’re calling from. It must be new because I don’t recognize it.”

“It’s a pay as you go phone.”

“
I figured. I’ll do a little digging on my end and let you know where the investigation stands.”

“I appreciate that, Dave.”

* * *

Sam paid for the groceries and headed across the street to the bakery after depositing his bags in the car.
He hadn’t told Molly yet, but he was thinking of taking another few days to head to the western part of the state. There were plenty of bikers there, too. It was the region of the state he hadn’t yet canvassed. When he’d been with the Ravens while undercover, they had never spent time in that part of the state, so he had concentrated his efforts in the central and eastern regions instead. He wanted to make sure there was plenty to eat at the cabin, and to soften the blow—for Kelsie anyway—he made a detour to the bakery. Fresh donuts might deflect the little girl’s wrath. Midweek, the bakery wasn’t too busy. Good thing it wasn’t Saturday or he’d have no chance of getting a good selection in the middle of the morning.

There were a few customers in line ahead of him and he used the time to make some doughnut selections. A couple of chocolate, a raspberry-filled, an éclair, and two with pink frosting and colorful sprinkles. He smiled as he imagined Kelsie’s face when she saw them. He just hoped neither of the customers before him would choose them as they were the last ones
in the case. Sam took a deep breath, inhaling the delicious aroma of fried dough, chocolate, vanilla, and coffee. They should bottle the scent of bakery. Not only did it smell amazing, but it brought back so many wonderful memories. This was the same bakery he’d been coming to since he was a child and not much had changed. Dark wood cases with glass fronts held a selection of cookies, cupcakes, pies and decorated layer cakes.

As he studied the coffee cakes, a flyer taped to the front of the glass caught his attention. The colorful poster showed a motorcycle and heralded a coming rally in the next town over. It boasted food and music along with vendors selling all kinds of classic bikes on display. Sam read the date. It was this weekend. It was bound to attract a ton of bikers. Maybe even Howard. From his undercover days, before Sean had died, Sam had attended rallies as part of the gang. While most who attended were just weekend bike enthusiasts, there were always some
less savory characters who attended as well. He’d hated that while he was deep undercover, he had to act like the other members of the gang. The regular folks usually avoided Howard’s group as gang members swaggered around the rallies. People would pass them, their eyes never quite meeting any of the bikers, as if hoping to not call attention to themselves. It worked for the most part, as Howard had no interest in people who weren’t looking for what he had to sell.

This rally appeared
to be one of the bigger events in the region, and he had a feeling it would attract the Ravens. It would be well attended, but the town wasn’t near a big city, so police presence would be light. Sure, there would be hired security, but they never posed much of a problem.

Sam’s turn came and he placed his order; his anticipation for seeing Kelsie’s face dampened as his quest for revenge resurfaced.
At least there was a chance that he wouldn’t have to leave town to find the enforcer. If his suspicions were correct, the enforcer would practically waltz uninvited into Sam’s turf, and like a wolf protecting his territory, Sam had no qualms about doing whatever it took to rid his world of the threat. Howard would pay his debt and now Sam had a collection date he could stamp on the bill.

A
s expected, Kelsie squealed when she saw the pink doughnut, and Sam pasted on a smile. It fooled the little girl, but Molly looked at him, one brow raised in question. “What’s wrong, Sam?”

He shook his head. “Nothing. I just forgot to get the juice at the grocery store.”

She looked doubtful, but accepted his lie. “Well, there’s some iced tea. It might not go with doughnuts, but I can make up a pitcher for later this afternoon.”

“That would be great.” He smiled again, feeling like a louse for lying to her, but she couldn’t know about the rally. If she found out, she’d worry that Howard would come for Johnny again. Sam worried about it too. Johnny had been making a name for himself at the local bars already, and people would remember him. Word got around in small towns and even though the rally was in the next town over, Sam was sure Johnny’s reputation had already spread. Just the fact that he was hanging out with Victoria probably stirred gossip. Everyone knew she was newly divorced. The problem was, if Howard was going to look for Johnny, Sam had to make sure he didn’t come anywhere near Molly and Kelsie. That meant Sam had to deliver him to Howard at the rally—give the gang leader no reason to look for Sam’s cabin. Johnny would be bait and he wouldn’t even realize it. Sam felt a stab of guilt at the cruel scheme, but it wasn’t as if Johnny would stay away from the rally. He’d
go with or without Sam so it was better that Sam would be there to cover his back.

“I’m going to go see about putting the boat in the water. I’ve been promising Kelsie for a few days, and I finally have it water-ready. We can go for a ride around the lake later, if you’d like.”

Molly grinned. “Oh, that’d be wonderful!”

Sam grabbed an éclair and headed down to the dock. He’d readied the engine but hadn’t started it yet. It had been over a year since he’d been on the water with it. He jumped in, and checked the engine as he mulled over the rally. The problem was how to keep the rally a secret from Molly? How was Sam going to explain his disappearance for an evening? He could say he was going
to visit some old buddy or something. Maybe Victoria’s brother, Tony.

That afternoon, Sam took Molly and Kelsie on a tour of the lake, all but killing the motor to go through a narrows into a back bay.

Molly’s eyes shone as she looked around her, her arm draped around Kelsie who sat beside her. “Oh, Sam, it’s beautiful!” She gasped and pointed. “Look, Kelsie, I think that’s a beaver!”

Sam smiled. “Yeah, beavers like it back here.”

Kelsie’s eyes became huge as she watched the animal, only its head visible, swim thirty yards away. She turned to Sam, but only grinned before searching out the beaver again. She and Molly had a whispered conversation about it, and he thought it amusing that they whispered as though they were in church. Looking around at the still water, almost calm now that their waves had spread wide enough to dissipate, he decided it did seem natural to want to speak softly. Sound carried on the water and even normal voices sounded almost like shouting. Kelsie wore Sean’s life jacket and when he’d catch a glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye, he could almost imagine it was Sean sitting in the boat with him. For just a few moments, he indulged in the fantasy, closing his eyes and letting it wash over him. And then Kelsie giggled and the fantasy ended. He blinked a few times, grateful for the sunglasses, cleared his throat and took a swig from his water bottle.

“This was always my favorite part of the lake. There aren’t any homes on the shore, and it’s so quiet. Sometimes I’d come out here to fish, and I’d feel like I was the only person for hundreds of miles. Water skiers don’t come back here because it’s not deep and hard to get into the bay, and most prefer to stick to the main part of the lake.”

“Think I’d love to float out here with a good book to read and cold drink. It would be pure heaven.”

“Well, next time, you can read while I fish.”

“What about me?” Kelsie looked from Molly to Sam. “What can I do?”

Sam stood and moved over to the cooler they’d packed and offered Kelsie a pouch of fruit juice while he dug out another bottle of water. “I can teach you how to fish. Before you k
now it, you’ll be a good little fisherman,” Sam joked, then realized that he’d spoken as if there were going to be a next time—enough next times to teach her how to fish.

Molly must have come to the same conclusion because the smile dropped off her face. “Sam, I’ve been thinking. We haven’t seen any of the people you’re worried about.” She spoke in vague terms for Kelsie’s sake, but Sam knew she meant Ravens. “And I just think it would be okay for us to go back home now. My boss was okay with me taking emergency time off, but he’s not going to go for me staying up here indefinitely. And I don’t have that much vacation saved up anyway.”

At her words, a wave of sadness crashed over Sam, catching him by surprise, and he sat on the seat opposite Molly and Kelsie. Of course, they couldn’t stay here forever. Molly had a life to get back to. Sam sighed. He wished that things were different. He wished that he could teach Kelsie to fish. Most of all, he wished his son was in the boat with him, too. So many wishes, and none of them could ever come true. 

* * *

Sam threw a light jacket on to conceal his shoulder holster, but felt almost naked without his leather jacket. He should have bought a new one. He hoped Molly wouldn’t notice the firearm, but there was no help for it. No way was he going unarmed.

Johnny walked out of the spare room, twirling a key ring around one finger. “Hey, Sam. What’s up?”

He canted his head towards the front of the cabin. “Can you step out on the porch with me? I have to ask you something.” Sam checked to make sure Molly was still busy helping Kelsie with her bath. He’d made sure they spent most of the day at the beach. With any luck, they would both go to sleep early, and by the time they woke up, this whole thing would be over.

“So…what’d you
wanna tell me?”

“We have someplace to go tonight.”

“We do?”

“Yeah. We’re heading over to the bike rally. It’s over in Kendall.”

Johnny grinned. “All right!”

Sam shook his head. “Quiet. I don’t want your sister to know. We’re not going to have a good time, we’re going to find Howard, the enforcer in the Ravens.”

The grin withered and his face blanched. “But…
why
? We haven’t had any trouble since we left Molly’s house.”

“Exactly. Do you think you can stay here forever? You may not have much of a life, but Molly does. She has a job and she has classes in the fall. As much fun as this has been, it can’t go on indefinitely, and the only way to make it safe for her to go home is to finish this. As long as the Ravens are hunting you down, she can’t go home.”

Johnny bit his lip. “I guess so, but if they’re going to be at the rally, I can’t go. If they see me, they’ll kill me!”

“You have to go. You’re the bait.”

“No way! I…I can’t. I can’t do it.”

Sam clenched his jaw and strode up to Johnny, grabbing a handful of his shirt as he jerked him close. “Listen, you damn coward. Your sister—hell—your precious niece—are in danger because of you. You led those assholes right to her door and now you have to fix it.”

Johnny gulped, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I’m sorry about that. I wasn’t thinking, but—”

“But nothing.
“ Sam pushed Johnny against the wall, rattling the screen door beside him. He balled Johnny’s shirt in one hand and jabbed a finger in Johnny’s face, close enough to make the younger man flinch. “Listen up. You either play the bait, and have me covering your sorry ass, or I’ll turn you over to Howard myself. Either way, it’ll fix this. Your call.”

He nodded. “Yeah. Okay. I’ll do it.”

“Good.” Sam released him and stepped back, glancing into the cabin. He heard Kelsie singing in the bathroom. “Now, here’s what we’ll do…”

Just as Sam finished outlining his plan, Molly opened the door. “Hey guys. Why so serious?”

Sam smiled. “Nothing. I was just warning Johnny about Victoria, but he told me he’s a big boy and doesn’t need my advice.”

Johnny nodded. “Yeah, I can handle her. In fact, I’m going out with her again tonight.” He lifted his chin as though defying Sam’s advice. At least the kid was playing along even though he was scared
spitless.

“I see. This sounds like it’s getting serious.” Molly crossed her arms, her eyes dancing as she sent Sam an amused look.

Johnny shrugged. “Anyway, I’m gonna get going. Can I use your car, Molly?”

“I guess so, since you already have the keys.” Molly laughed. “Have fun.”

“I will. See you guys later.” He jumped to the ground, ignoring the three steps, and Sam hoped he’d show up at their meeting spot.

After Johnny pulled out of the driveway, Sam turned to Molly. “I hate to
leave you ladies alone tonight but my old buddy, Tony, called me. He’s in town and heard I was here. He wanted to hang out tonight.”

“Is that Victoria’s brother?”

Sam nodded.

“Well of course you have to go. You certainly don’t need to ask my permission.” She said the right words, but Sam could see the disappointment in her eyes, and he couldn’t help feeling a little bit of joy that she would be sad he wasn’t going to be here tonight.

“Be sure to lock the doors. I may be gone all night—Tony’s quite the party guy—so don’t expect me until late, and maybe not until morning.”

“Oh.” This time, she made no attempt to hide her disappointment and it was clearly written on her face. “Okay. See you tomorrow.”

Sam should have turned and left right then, but couldn’t bear to see her walk away like that. “Molly, I’m sorry. If I could stay here with you, I would.” He leaned in, cupping her cheek with one hand as he kissed her. She accepted it, but pulled away after a moment.

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

* * *

Molly shut and locked the door as Sam rode off. She scolded herself that she had no right to expect him to be with her every second. After all, what they had was temporary. They both knew that. Molly had to go back to work soon, and Sam was still intent on hunting down Howard. While she understood why Sam felt he needed to inflict vengeance on Howard, she was torn. As much as she agreed that Howard deserved everything he had coming, he was still Kelsie’s father. There was a chance he’d change his ways, and someday when Kelsie was older, she might want to get to know him. People changed. She thought of the man Howard had become, and thought of him ordering the hit on Sam’s son and mother, and shook her head. Could someone who did that ever change enough to matter? Probably not and he had to pay for his crime. On second thought, she hoped Sam did find him, but her biggest worry was that Sam would end up dead or in prison and Howard wasn’t worth it.

“Mommy, where did Mr. Sam go?” Kelsie wore one of Sam’s old t-shirts as a nightgown. It was huge on her and hung almost to the floor, but she looked adorable in it, and Molly scooped her up and blew raspberries in the crook of Kelsie’s neck, much to the little girl’s delight. The move didn’t distract her though, and as soon as Molly set Kelsie back on her feet, she repeated her question.

“Well, tonight, Mr.
Sam is going to meet up with an old friend of his.”

“He’s not going to be here to tuck me in?” Sam had stood in the doorway the last few nights while Molly read to Kelsie, and then her daughter had insisted that Sam give her a goodnight kiss, too. Molly had known Sam was both touched and torn at the requ
est. It had to have triggered memories of his son.

After finally getting Kelsie settled down and sleeping, Molly plopped onto the couch.
She didn’t feel like watching a movie and the selection was pretty much limited to Disney movies that she had already seen a dozen times each. She glanced at the bookcase beside the fireplace. It was well-stocked and she got up to peruse the titles.

It was a good mix of thrillers, historical, classics and, Molly giggled, romance novels. Somehow, she couldn’t see Sam reading the bodice rippers. She sobered when she realized they probably had belonged to Sam’s mother. Molly found a book that looked interesting and took it back to the couch. After an hour, she tossed it aside. It was okay, but she felt restless and couldn’t concentrate. She was about to head to the kitchen to get a snack, when there was a knock on the door.

Molly froze for an instant then crept over to the fireplace and removed the poker from the bin of utensils. It was heavy, and was at least something to use as a weapon. She drew back the curtain of the window beside the door and let out a sigh of relief. It was just Victoria. She lowered the poker and unlocked the front door.

“Hello, Victoria.” It suddenly occurred to Molly that if Victoria was here, where was Johnny?

“Molly. Can I come in for a second?”

“Sure.” Molly held the door open for her, then closed it, locking it again. “What’s up? I t
hought you were out with Johnny.”

Victoria gave her a look of confusion. “Johnny? No. We didn’t have plans tonight. Isn’t he here?”