River of sin

35. Don't leave me

The family gathered the next morning when news traveled of Jacob's late night visitor. He'd been staying with Danny to help out with Betty who had been distraught since her ordeal, fretful anytime Jacob left her sight. Constantly waking with nightmares and soaked bed sheets. Crying for Evie, asking repeatedly when she was coming home, if the bad man still had her, Jacob avoiding answering her endless relentless questions.

"Is it true?" Harrison fumbled in, the last of the brothers to arrive having been out last night to let out some of his pent up frustrations with ale and female company, waking up in a bed that weren't his. "Oh my goodness!" He dropped to his knees in front of his brother "is she alright?" He fussed looking the baby over "why is she screaming? Is she hurt? She is red in the face!"
Jacob sighed getting up, to try and soothe is daughter.
"She has not stopped since she woke up" Danny whispered at his brother "he's upset. She don't know who he is Harry. She's scared of him, of all of us. She wants her ma bless her."

"Shush. Shush. It's me. Your dad. Eh? Maggie? My little Angel? It's me. You're safe with me."
"Mama"
"Yes I know I know you want your mama, I promise you I'll find her." He bounced her up and down "my word you have gotten such a big girl haven't you. I love you. You hungry? Hmm? Please stop crying, please." He begged becoming more upset at Maggie pushing him away.
"Do you want me to try and nurse her Jacob? Might calm her down?" Trudy offered, Jacob nodding sadly having tried a bottle already, not having much luck.

"So are we going to go look for her? First sighting, it's a good sign, right?" Lenard asked, distracting his brother away from his daughter
"I've sent men already. She'll be long gone. Sounds like they were on the move and she managed to get away briefly. Long enough to get Maggie to me but not get away herself, that doxy said she was in a state. She's probably already dead." He swiped the sideboard, holding his head, sliding down the wall.
"Jacob?" Detective Brent walked in "I heard...."
"What do you want? If you're here to take my daughter from me you'll have to kill me first."
"Jacob. I promised your Gran I'd watch over you. You need to get out of town for a while. Understand?"
"Thank you." Danny shook the hand of his dads childhood friend "we'll take the family and disappear for a while. Let the dust settle."

"Danny...." Brent pulled the eldest Evans brother away, whispering to him "girl was bought in to the hospital an hour ago. In a bad way. Really bad way. No identification. Might be worth checking out."
"Thank you. I'll tell him."
"If it's her.....from what I heard......she'd been assaulted over a period of time. It was hard to get an accurate description from them, her injuries were that bad, only thing I got from them was a young female, signs she was nursing an infant. Hair colour is a match to Yvonne, but it's not much to go on, I don't want to get his hopes up. They thought she was a working girl at first. Now they don't think she is. Milkman spotted her legs down an alley behind some dustbins, rushed her in. Unconscious since they found her. Went to see the back alley where they found her before I came here, looks like the poor thing crawled her way there to hide then passed out. If it's her, she escaped, she weren't let go. No Gemini marking on her body like the others, still has her eyes, so swollen they got no clue what colour they are mind.....she had a pendant around her neck with a Gemini symbol, expensive looking one at that. It's how they figured she weren't a working girl. She weren't found wearing much. My colleague got assigned before I could take the case. It's chaos. Between you, Barnes and this Sullivan, all hells broke loose, I got bodies pilling up! Oh they said she had small scar behind her left ear?"

Danny looked behind him at his brother storming out.
"Shit. Thank you Brent. Evie fell on the boat when they went to America, caught behind her ear, he was just telling us the other day about how he thought it might leave a scar, he stitched it up himself. Could be her, best we've had to go on. Buy us some time. We'll be gone by tonight. Boys, let's go, bring your weapons incase Sullivan's there looking for her."
"I'll have a couple of coppers sit outside the house, Danny. Seriously never thought an Evans brother would have a kid with a Barnes lass, let alone fall in love with one!"
"Nor did we" Danny laughed

Jacob ran through the hallways of the hospital, barging his way past anyone that tried to stop him or was in his way. he pushed the doors open with a loud bang, taking large strides across the ward, over to the bed in the far corner. he shoved the doctors out of the way despite their protests. he peered into the bed at the battered body laying beneath the sheets, angrily snatching the file from the doctors hand, flipping the pages, reading over the notes, becoming angrier by the second. he rolled up the file, shoving it into his pocket.

"right then, little darling. lets be having you" he wrapped a blanket around her, scooping her limp body up into his arms
"I can't let you do that" a doctor protested, blocking him
"do you know who I am?" he asked shortly
"yes Mr. Evans however this woman requires care and treatment. she's been through an ordeal and has no identification. no one has come forward."
"well they have now" Jacob went to step past them being blocked again
"Mr Evans. You can not just barge in here and do as you please! She needs treatment and care, she is in a bad way!"
"step aside" Danny spoke calmly pressing his gun to the doctors head "you step aside, let him pass and forget she was ever here. understood. anything in that file gets out of this room, everyone in it will be found with a bullet in his head. curtesy of the Evans brothers. Your families can fish you out of the river of sin."

Jacob carried Yvonne's lifeless body in his arms past all the people staring, Harrison raising his gun in the air, shooting a round. "turn around!" He yelled, walking in large confident strides. "next persons eyes that look upon her, will loose their god damn fucking eyes!" He angrily threatened, he flicked his spent cigarette, pushing the doors open with force. "I got you brother. This way." He guided Jacob, finally feeling useful.

"go" Jacob demanded, climbing into the back of his car. "almost home, my little darling" he whispered into her hair, kissing her head "I'm here now. can you hear me? its me, Jacob, your handsome devil. I bought hell to them, little darling. it's over now. I got Maggie, I got betty, they're both safe." he gently moved her face to inspect it. "He's a dead man walking Evie, I promise you, little darling."
"how she doing?" Lenard asked from the drivers seat. "you sure you want her home and not at the hospital, Jake? she don't look good."
"she's fine. aren't you little darling. you're gonna be just fine aren't you. nobody's gonna know a thing, my little Evie. I promise you." he held her close, gently rocking her back and forth "I promise you, no one will ever know what they did to you. my brave girl. You hold no shame, you hear me, little darling, no shame. I love you just the same. Please, open your eyes, please Evie, please open your eyes. Can you hear me? Yvonne? Evie? Little darling? Hmmm? Can you hear me? You're gonna be fine, you're a fighter, you're my girl, you're an Evans now, Evans don't give up, they fight, you hear me Evie, you fight my little darling with everything you've got. I'm here now. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I'm so god damn sorry. I'll kill um all I swear it. Sullivan's a dead man, I'll find him and I'll make him pay. I love you, please don't leave me Evie, please. keep breathing, good girl, that's it. your Jacob Evans' girl, you hear me! So don't you dare give up! Evans' never give up."
barney looked across worriedly at his brother, hearing the crack on their usually tough as nail brother was hard to hear.