Crank's Rescue (Hell Raiders MC Book 6), page 2
"I'm a little hesitant after the way the Blair case went, but a folder just came to me that involves an old school friend. I promised to put my best on it, both because of the old friendship, and because of the seriousness of the complaint. I'd like you to handle this one." A file dropped to the desk with a little snap that startled me.
I reached for it, even though every instinct warned me to refuse the case. "What is it?"
His smile widened, like the cat who ate the canary. "Julia Garret, and her husband, Matt, are foster parents. Three children are placed with them. The eldest, a twelve-year-old female, went to the school nurse complaining of painful urination. After a brief interview, the girl asserted that Mr. Garret touched her inappropriately. The nurse immediately stopped the interview, brought in the school counselor, and called me."
"And you want me to investigate the claims? Why?" Confusion buzzed through my mind. What sort of traps might he have waiting within this case?
"I do. Because you're my best caseworker at the moment, and because you seem to have an intuitive ability to sense when things aren't right, like with the Blair children." He grinned, his attempt at flirting coming far short of the mark. "Will you do it?"
I shrugged, uncomfortable. "Why are you even asking? Normally you would just assign me the case."
His face turned serious, concerned. "Because I need your assurance that you'll give this case the attention it deserves. Any allegation of mistreatment within a foster home is very serious, of course, but this one, because of the nature of the allegation, is vital. The Garrets, of course, will be greatly impacted if the allegations are founded, but either outcome will impact this office."
I sighed inwardly. So this was what it felt like when your boss had it out for you and decided you needed to self-destruct. "I'll handle it carefully, of course, but given the number of cases I already have, I'm not certain why you're giving it to me. Surely someone else, even you, could give it more attention?"
The anger crossed his face so quickly I almost missed it. "I have to be strictly hands off, because of the personal connection. I might be able to shift a couple of your cases to others, but everyone is overloaded at the moment."
I suppressed a shiver and nodded. "Of course. I'll do my best." I stood, bade him a good afternoon, and left. Every self-defense mechanism I possessed shrieked with the alarm. Jared Sennit was not a man I wanted angry at me.
As I passed Melissa Tate's office, she called out to me. "Hey, Sarah, you got a sec?"
I smiled. What trouble had my best friend cooked up this time? Inside her office, I closed the door. "What's up, Mel?"
"First, we need a girls night. I've been waiting patiently, but you still haven't dished about the hot biker." Ice rattled in the takeout cup as she took a sip of whatever drink she'd brought back from lunch.
"I'm sorry, Mel. All these new cases are stretching me to the limit, and now Mr. Sennit just gave me another one, a huge one." Guilt assaulted me. Mel was always there for me, without fail, even when it wasn't convenient for her. I owed her the same courtesy.
"Stop frowning, goofball. You're too serious. And what do you mean by new cases? I haven't had anything new hit my desk in two weeks. I was starting to wonder if everyone suddenly started being good to their kids."
"What?" I tried to contain my temper as her words sank in. "Are you serious? Nothing new in two weeks?"
My seriousness penetrated her joking demeanor. "Let me double check, but at least two weeks." She flipped through her planner. "Seventeen days since my last new case."
"Ughhh! That bastard!" The anger slipped a little.
"Who? What happened?" Concern furrowed her brow.
A deep breath did nothing to calm me. "Mel, I've had seven new cases in that same amount of time."
Her perfectly made up eyes widened dramatically. "Oh, shit! What's going on? Why is he doing that?"
Tension bit into my shoulders. "I don't know." I had my suspicions, though. I stood. "Look, I need to get on this new one right away. Can I stop by when I finish for the night? I'll bring wine."
Mel came from behind her desk and folded me into a warm hug. "Sweetie, you can come over any time, even if you forget the wine."
I returned the hug, promised to call, and headed back to my office to review the file on the Garret case. It seemed straight-forward, but with sexual abuse allegations, nothing was ever simple. The details absorbed me quickly, and I gathered my things to go make initial contact.
A short time later, I sat in a cramped resource room at the middle school with the eerily pretty girl, and the school counselor. The interview left no doubt in my mind that the Garret house needed further investigation. The things the little girl described happening to her absolutely turned my stomach. I met the counselor's horrified gaze, and gave a warning shake of my head. Any indication of shock or dismay from us, and the girl might shut down.
I finished with my notes. "Remy, I want you to understand exactly how serious this is, and what will happen next. There are going to be tons of questions, some of them embarrassing, and there'll be a doctor, and a psychologist, probably lawyers, and maybe even court. It isn't going to be fun, either for you, or Mr. Garret. If there's anything you want to change about what you said, now is the time." I waited while she absorbed my words.
"You think I'm lying?" Her lip trembled.
"I just want to be sure I have all the details right, sweetie, nothing more." I actually believed her. She knew more about sex than any twelve-year-old should, and not things that could be gleaned from porn or romance novels. A girl her age could, of course, be sexually active, but the things she described weren't consistent with a fumbling teenage boy. "Have you talked to anyone at all about this before?"
"I tried to tell Mr. Sennit, my regular caseworker." The words fell like bricks, and the counselor met my gaze, fully aware of the implications.
"What did he say?"
Remy shrugged. "He laughed a little, and said I had a vivid imagination." Her gaze dropped and she worried at her lip with her teeth. "Then he said maybe I could suck his cock for him."
My heart leapt into my throat. If what this girl said was true, my boss could be a pedophile, along with being a crook. A sick feeling settled into my stomach. How many other girls had he propositioned? Had he actually assaulted any of them?
Did he think I wouldn't find out? Surely he couldn't be so arrogant as to think the girl would stay silent? Yes. Yes, he could. Jared Sennit was the personification of arrogance and conceit.
Slowly, the magnitude of what lay ahead sank into my brain. If I took this one allegation to the district supervisor, especially before I completed my investigation, I risked giving myself a reputation of being eager to get a coworker into trouble. It was hardly unheard of for a juvenile in the system to make such accusations because of some perceived slight, or just because they felt like making trouble. No, I had to proceed carefully.
I finished up the interview, gathered my notes, and left to make arrangements for Remy to be placed in a group home until the investigation could be finished. Either way, she wouldn't return to the Garret home.
Nausea built as I drove back to the office. I kept trying to focus on the task ahead, make a mental roadmap of the steps I needed to take. By the time I parked the car, I barely made it out of my seat in time to empty my stomach on the pavement.
Crank:
The fucking wood cracked under the force of my blow. God damn it. Something, besides the fucking practice dummy, had to give soon. Almost five weeks. It had been almost five weeks since I left Sarah, and instead of fading, this irrational need for her kept growing. Every fucking moment turned into a battle not to get on my bike and get back to her as fast as I could go. I had to constantly remind myself I could bring her nothing good. I destroyed shit. Everything I fucking touched turned to shit. I refused to do that to her life.
I gave the practice dummy one last vicious kick, and stepped back, breathing hard, dripping sweat. What the fuck was wrong with me? I had never dealt with this kind of distraction before. I could always clear my head for work, or training, but now, every thought came with a reminder of Sarah.
I tried drinking it away, and Mr. Jack Daniels became my best friend for a minute, but even he failed to drown the need. Fucking other women turned out to be laughable. Sure, I did it, and I got off, but only by fantasizing about Sarah. The stupor of pills made it worse, carrying my mind directly to her. I seriously contemplated the oblivion H could give me, but I knew even that relief would only be temporary, and would leave me chasing it. The Hell Raiders weren't nice boys, and we all did a lot of shit, but serious drugs were where Kellen drew the line. Especially since all the bullshit Hack put us through.
Kellen came in through the open wall of the old shed we had converted into a makeshift gym. "Damn, Brother, you been working hard." He took in the busted dummy. "Remind me to stay the fuck out of your way."
I threw a dirty look his way. "What of it?" Fucking sweat dripped into my eyes.
"Nothing at all, man." He raised his hands at his sides, as if in surrender. "You see yourself in the mirror lately?"
"Now why the fuck would I do that?"
"Motherfucker, you've lost weight. You've been out here so much you're even more ripped than usual. And you look like the hounds of hell are hot on your tail." He shook his head. "You need a break, man. Or something."
The glare I sent his way must have been scary as fuck, because Kellen took a half step back. "Yeah. Or something. All the fuck I need is for all the motherfuckers around here to quit digging in my shit."
"Fair enough. Not digging in your shit. But I am telling you, get that shit straight. You're no good to me if you work yourself into a stupor." He flipped me off and headed back toward the clubhouse.
"Fuck you, too, cocksucker." I turned back to the mess I'd made of the sparring dummy. I couldn't very well beat the hell out of it anymore, so I needed to clean the shit up and see about fixing it. Maybe that would occupy a little more time. Keep my head out of my ass a few minutes.
An hour later, I made my way back inside, exhausted and starved. A shower might help, but I didn't even have the energy left for that shit. Instead, I went straight to my room and fell into bed. Fuck it. No one cared if I stunk to high fucking heaven or not.
Darkness sucked me under, and I must have slept for a long fucking time. An annoying buzz kept tugging at me, pulling me back to the surface. When I opened my eyes, the only light came from the bluish glow around the edge of my phone where it lay screen-down on my pillow.
I rolled over with a groan and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. The goddamn phone started buzzing again and I snatched it up, intent on cussing someone the fuck out.
"Sarah", the screen said.
"Sarah? Is that you?" My heart jumped into my throat as I answered. Could she really be calling me? After all this time?
"Crank? I'm sorry to bother you. I just didn't know where else to turn." Her voice trembled. Fear? Why would she be that fucking scared?
"What's wrong, Sarah?" Blood rushed through my veins, pounded in my head, driving me to get to her, protect her.
"I…I got information on my boss, the one that sent Tyler and Nicole—"
"I remember. What's wrong?" If I sounded harsh, I didn't mean to, but I needed to know what the fuck was wrong, and right away.
"It's worse than kickbacks, Crank. So far, I've found three girls he's raped."
Silence pounded between us. "Sarah, does he know you found out?" Fuck.
"I…I think so." She took a deep breath, obviously gathering her courage. "I came home from work, and my apartment had been broken into. Some notes I made were missing."
FuckfuckFUCK. "Where are you now? Are you alone?"
"I'm in my car now, alone. I don't feel safe in my apartment, and I really don't have anywhere to go." She sounded small, and terrified.
"Okay, baby. I want you to drive to the next town, and a get a hotel room. Call off sick, and wait for me there. Order in, don't go out for anything. Understood?" The plan came together in my head like loading my weapons. Quick and easy. I was already on my feet, throwing my shit into a bag.
"I could go to my friend's house—"
"You could. If you want to bring this cocksucker after your friend, too. A hotel is better, keeps other people out of the line of fire." Shit, she just wanted someone with her, and I couldn't blame her for that. "Maybe have your friend come and meet you there?" I hated that thought, since it gave the asshole another opportunity to find her, but if waiting alone in a hotel bothered her that much, it was worth the risk.
She stayed silent for a moment. "Okay, I think I have someone who could do that."
"Good. You called the cops? Got everything secured?" As much as I despised the idea of cops being involved, in this case, it seemed necessary.
"Yes. The officers came, went through the apartment with me, and advised me to spend the night somewhere else. They stayed while I packed a bag and helped me lock up." She sounded a little stronger. The presence of the cops reassured her a little. Good to know.
"Okay, then, start driving. Stay in busy areas, in as much traffic as possible. It's not easy at night, but pay attention to the cars around you. If you see the same one more than a couple times, you need to change routes quickly." My hands shook with the need to take care of her, to keep this cocksucker from hurting her any further.
"Alright." A short pause. "Crank?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. I knew you would take me seriously, even if we didn't end things on a great note."
I stayed silent for a moment. "Baby, I don't consider us ended." Shut the fuck up, motherfucker. "I'll be there as soon as I can get there. You fucking stay safe. Understood?"
"Okay." She sounded small and quiet and scared, and my fucking arms ached to hold her.
I ended the call and hurried to throw the rest of my shit in the bag, then headed out to find Kellen. Motherfucker was nowhere to be found, so I settled for Trip. I gave a quick explanation of the call from Sarah, and said I had to go, and I'd be in touch. At the same time, I was on my phone, booking a flight. As much as I preferred to have my bike, and my hardware, I refused to take that much time getting to her. I would pick up whatever I needed when I got there.
"You need backup?" The fucking concern in Trip's voice made me impatient.
The urge to roll my eyes like a teenager hit hard, but I resisted. "I'll call if I run into trouble, or reach out to some of the people we know close by. Ain't tryin' to do anything stupid."
"A'ight, man, go take care of your woman. While you're at it, get your shit together."
"Yeah, yeah." I flipped him off and headed for the door.
The drive to the airport stretched on forever, and GPS made my life easier as I navigated the maze of lanes that led every-damn-where. I parked the car in the short-term parking, gathered my shit, and headed inside. Getting through security turned into a nightmare. People in the long line gave me a wide berth, but they still grated on my nerves. Then the TSA dude made me empty my pockets, take off my boots, and still fucking patted me down.
An hour and a half after I left the car, I sat my hillbilly ass in the secure area of the airport, and waited for my flight to be called. Apparently, people watching was not an acceptable pastime for big, rough-looking tattooed bikers. At least, I gathered that from the reactions of everyone who happened to notice me watching them. Before long, people actively avoided my section of seats, which suited me just fine.
Finally, my flight boarded. I found my seat, stowed my shit in the overhead compartment, and took my seat. At least I got a window seat. Seconds after I said my thanks for that piece of good luck, a harried-looking woman in an airline uniform practically shoved a kid into the seat next to me.
"This is where you stay until I come get you." She leaned in and buckled his seat belt. "Do not get up, and do not bother anyone. Do you understand?"
The kid, who I guessed to be about ten, grinned and nodded. The woman rolled her eyes and rushed away. The kid looked at me. "Are those tattoos real?"
I glared back. "Why the hell wouldn't they be? Of course they are."
He shrugged, all dramatic like. "I don't know. You could be some pussy wanna-be with the kind that washes off."
A bark of laughter escaped me before I could stop it. "Your momma let you say shit like that?"
"Don't have one anymore, so I can say whatever I want."
I had no reply for that one. Silence suited me better, anyway. The crew made all their announcements, and we started to move. The armrests nearly came off in my hands as the ground dropped away beneath the plane, but once it made cruising altitude, I relaxed.
The kid had no intentions of letting me sleep my way to Oklahoma, though. "So, are you in a biker gang, or what?"
I opened one eye and studied him. "No. I'm a Hell Raider. What are you? Some kind of juvenile delinquent?"
He tilted his head at me. "How did you know?"
"Know what?"
"That I'm a juvenile delinquent."
Fuck. "I didn't. I was just jerking your chain because you asked me about a biker gang. What makes you think you're a juvenile delinquent?" Fuck. The last thing I needed was to know this kid's story. He probably did something stupid and got labeled bad. Sorta like me.
He shrugged again. "My mom said so. Teachers did, too. She doesn't want me anymore, so she sent me to some place that's supposed to make me good. After that, I don't know where I'll live."
Anger rolled over me. "What the fuck you do for them to say that?"
"There was this kid. He always picked on me, but everyone believed him when he said I started it. I tried to stay away from him, but he always hunted for me. One day, he was going to hurt me, like really bad. I hit him in the head with a rock and made him stop." Tears glazed his eyes, but he held them back. "I made him like a vegetable, or something, and I'm not sorry. He deserved it."
"Shit, kid, I'm sorry." Despite myself, I couldn't help feeling sympathy for the kid. He wasn't the first to defend himself and be accused of being the instigator. Hopefully, shit would work out for him.
