As the last man entered the meeting room, Prez gave Amanda a quick kiss and told her he would see her later then entered the meeting room and closed the door behind himself. He walked to the front and told Wizard to pull up Larry's address, tossing him Larry's driver's license.
As soon as Wizard had a picture of Larry's house up on the screen, Prez called the meeting to order and said "This is the house of the jackass hanging in the shed right now. He snatched Bullet's woman off the side of the road last Saturday evening and has been abusing her ever since." Prez said and looked over at Bullet who had his hands gripping the chair arms with white knuckles as he breathed through his anger.
Prez went on to explain to the men that had not been there this morning at the diner what had gone down. "He wouldn't allow her to take her purse with them this morning, probably because he didn't want her to have her ID in case she managed to get away from him. We found out just a few minutes ago that he was planning on selling her to a man who has been running a small brothel outside of Mt. Steel. It's a bar called Hank's Hangout."
That information caused a minor uproar as comments of "Hey, that's in our territory!" "No fucking way!" as well as a variety of colorful swear words. Bullet, however, looked pale.
"Look. I know you all want to rush out and find this place and put an end to it but we have no idea if there is a second location in addition to the bar or what we might be walking into. This can't be just a one man operation so I'll bet he has back up. We need to take our time, gather our intel and then we'll go in and rescue the women and close this place down.
Now I've dealt with the sheriff in Mt. Steel before and I can't say that I trust him so we need to be careful here. For now, Bullet wants to go collect her purse at the jackasses house and then go get her car. Wizard, Mara said that her car is about 2 miles before the exit to get on 64 from Highway 60. Can you bring up a map showing how far that is from the asshole's house?" Prez asked.
Wizard already had the map showing Larry's address right on the edge of Mt. Steel so he just zoomed out until they could see approximately where the area where her car should be would be located. They were only about 5 miles apart. Wizard also brought up the address of Hank's Hangout, they were only about a mile apart but Prez was nervous because the area around Larry's house didn't seem to have many houses that they could see anyway.
"Team 1, go get ready to go. Take Jess with you. Make sure you have your kevlar and helmets on this one. The rest of you, be ready to roll. If we don't contact you within forty five minutes after we leave here, Spokes, send ten more men to Larry's address." Prez instructed.
"Prez, we should take his truck to his house. Maybe if his neighbors see it, they will think it's him coming home and not bother us." Ace said.
"Good idea, Ace. Did you happen to see what he drove up in?" Prez asked.
"No. He was already at the diner when Dot and I got there. But Mara should know." Ace replied.
Prez looked at Bullet and he nodded, then stood up to leave. Bullet walked down the hall and saw Melinda coming out of Mara's room. "Melinda? Is Mara still awake?" He called out when he got closer.
"Yes. She's in the tub soaking. Why? What do you need?" Melinda asked.
"We need to know what kind of car or truck Larry was driving and if there are any neighbors living close to Larry and are the keys to her car in her purse?" Bullet asked her the questions they needed to know.
"Hang on and I'll ask." Melinda said as she went back into the room. She went over to the bathroom door and knocked lightly. "Mara? Bullet needs to know what kind of truck someone named Larry was driving and if he has any neighbors that live close by and where are the keys to your car?" Melinda called out.
"He drives a silver colored pick-up truck, I think it's a Ford but I'm not sure. I never saw any neighbors but I could hear music playing at night that sounded like it was far away. My keys should be in my purse. It's a black leather Hobo bag and the last time I saw it, it was on a chair in the living room." Mara called out.
"Okay. I'll be right back." Melinda said. She went back and relayed the message then asked "Are you guys going after her car today?"
"Yeah. She wants her purse and her car so we're going to go get them. Thanks, Melinda. Take care of her for me while I'm gone?" Bullet asked with a shy smile.
"You know I will. Be safe Bullet. I like her. She's sweet." Melinda said.
"I think so too." Bullet smiled and then turned to hurry back down the hall. He re-entered the meeting room to find everyone waiting for him. "She said he drives a silver pickup truck but she's not sure if it's a Ford or not. She never saw any neighbors close by but could hear music in the distance and her purse is in the living room on a chair, her keys are in her purse."
"Go get ready guys. We roll in 15. Let's get this taken care of so that we can get home for dinner. Andy's making meatloaf tonight and I don't want to be late. Crusher, can you go to the shed and check for his truck keys, please?" Prez said.
"Sure Prez." Crusher replied as everyone stood up and left the meeting room to get ready to go.
Fifteen minutes later, team 1 along with Prez, Bullet, Ratchet, Ace, Beau and Jess pulled out of the yard. They dropped Ratchet off at the garage so that he could collect the tow truck and then they all headed for the diner where they easily located Larry's truck using his key fob. Beau got behind the wheel and Prez and Bullet joined him in Larry's truck.
"Nice ride. I wonder what he did for a living?" Prez said out loud but didn't really expect an answer.
Twenty minutes later, they were pulling into Larry's yard. As they had suspected, the yard was overgrown and the house looked like it was in bad need of repairs. It was surrounded by trees and overgrown brush. Bullet and Prez got out and approached the house. Prez motioned for team 1 to look around at the outbuildings around the house. The house wasn't even locked when Prez tried the door.
They entered the house and Bullet immediately spotted Mara's purse. The interior of the house was unkempt and cluttered with taxidermied stuffed animals covering the walls. There were too many deer heads hanging on the walls, none of them real trophies but Larry was either a taxidermist or had the money to pay someone to do it for him.
"Grab her bag and let's go. This place is giving me the creeps. Why do people kill such beautiful creatures and then hang their heads on the wall?" Prez said, walking to the door.
"I think they do it to reinforce their sense of control over another living creature. It's sick if you ask me." Bullet said as he walked across the living room to gather Mara's purse.
Prez was standing by the door and happened to see a paycheck stub sitting on a table just inside the door. It had "Hank's Hangout" as the return address on it and Prez memorized the address without touching it.
"Looks like he works for Hank. How much do you want to bet that Larry has been supplying Hank with his whores? I bet he works for him as a bouncer or maybe a bartender. Hell, he may even be a trafficker but I kind of doubt if he has the brains for that. But it looks like Hank pays well." Prez said.
They left the house and Prez walked over to the SUV carrying team 1. "The buildings were clear, Prez. Mostly old tools and junk." Hammer reported.
"I think I found out where Larry worked. I found a pay stub from Hank's Hangout on the table by the door. Don't go inside but just do a drive by to see whatever you can see from outside. We may be coming back later. We're going to go see about her car and then we'll have church after dinner and go from there." Prez said.
"See you at home." Hammer said and put the SUV in gear as Prez turned to go with Beau, Ace and Bullet. They were leaving Larry's truck here.
They found Mara's car with an abandon sticker on the back window which meant if the owner didn't return, the car would be towed to the local impound and there would be a hefty fine to get it out and the time for it to be removed was almost up. Bullet found Mara's key in her purse and helped Ratchet to hook it up and pulled onto the tow truck.
Hammer drove Team 1 down to Hank's Hangout, which was only another couple of miles down the road. There was a large cleared area between it and a gas station with a small diner next to it. It was run down but the cleared area had several big rigs parked for the night.
"If we park and watch from here we're going to be too obvious. We need to dress to be outside for a while and just watch before we do anything. Before we move on this, I want to see how many people work in both locations and what the setup is inside the bar. I wonder if the two are connected?" Hammer said as he pulled to a stop in front of the gas station. Just as they were about to pull out, it wasn't a real surprise to any of them when a local patrol car pulled into the front of the bar and the cop got out and casually strolled into the bar.
"He's not even trying to hide that he's here. Man, this stinks of corruption big time." Hammer said. "We need to come up with a plan. Let's head back to the clubhouse."
They left and returned to the clubhouse. No one said much of anything on the ride home as they were all lost in their thoughts. As soon as they got back, it was time for dinner and they all headed up stairs to wash up.
Dinner was rather subdued that night and as soon as it was over, Prez called for church.
Mara was asleep when they got back to the compound, which disappointed Bullet but Melinda had assured him that she'd had something to eat and was resting now.
As soon as dinner was over, Prez called for church and as soon as everyone was seated, he called the meeting to order. "Hammer, report on what you found at Hank's Hangout, please."
"Well, it's a warehouse type of building that from the outside looks to be at least two stories tall. There's a large cleared area next to it that had a couple of big rigs parked, it looked like it was for the night. Next to that is a gas station with a diner attached to it.
Didn't look like either one was particularly busy. Looks more like a station where truckers can pull off for the night to get something to eat and a place to park where they can sleep for a while.
Before we do anything, I think we need to see what the inside is like and then watch what happens when they close down. Are the women housed inside or is it just a bar?
I didn't see any indication that they offered "female entertainment" but then they rarely advertise that in small towns like that. I think we need to stake that place out and just observe before we move since we saw a patrol car pull up, park and go inside while we were there." Hammer reported.
Hearing that a cop had shown up and was apparently frequenting the place made Prez sit up and pay closer attention. "Damn! It's been years since we've been over to Mt. Steel but apparently things have not gotten any better there. When do you want to start?" Prez asked.
"I say we stake out the outside overnight and then on a busier night a small group of us go in, acting like new patrons, so that we don't stand out too much. Maybe act like we are just passing through.
We can see what the inside is like and maybe discreetly do some questioning and find out where the women are being held. Then we report back here and then we can form a plan to save them. I think we need to do some more questioning of the man in the shed." Hammer said and everyone agreed.
"If we are going in there, I assume we are not going as rescuers? If that is the case, we are going to need a cover story and a way to hide our weapons. From what we saw, the door guard is packin'." Hammer said.
"Well, we don't have to decide all of this tonight. Think about it tonight and we'll have church again tomorrow. In the meantime, I'm just about out on my feet. I want a beer and to spend some time with Amanda before she disowns me for not paying her enough attention. Anybody got anything they want to talk about tonight?" Prez asked.
Noone said anything so Prez banged his gavel, dismissing church. All of the men filed out of the meeting room, finding their women lined up in the hall, waiting for them with looks on their faces that said if they tried to go out anywhere for a while, they would all be in deep shit.
Bullet hoped that one day, Mara would be one of them. He walked back down the hall to find Carlyle sitting outside of Mara's door.
"Hey Carlyle. What's going on? Why are you guarding her door?" Bullet asked in a worried tone.
"Melinda asked me to listen up for her. Apparently she's been having night terrors and Melinda said to not leave her alone while she went to get a shower. If I hear anything, I'm supposed to call for Doc or one of the other women." Carlyle said.
Bullet's heart felt like someone had reached into his chest and squeezed it. He did not like hearing that she was suffering, especially in her sleep when she's supposed to be resting. "Damn!"
Just then Melinda came back, dressed in her pajamas and a housecoat. "Thanks, Carlyle." She told the prospect.
"No worries. I'm on duty till midnight so just yell if you need me again." Carlyle said then took off down the hall.
Almost as soon as he left, they heard Mara whimpering in her sleep. "Poor thing. She's not getting much rest because her dreams keep invading. Doc said he'd give her a sedative if she keeps waking up." Melinda said softly as she unlocked Mara's door.
"Do you think it would be alright if I stay with her tonight? I don't want to scare her if she wakes up and I'm there but I'd like to be here for her." Bullet asked. He was feeling very out of his normal element right now.
"Since she already knows you it might be alright but I wish she was awake so that she knows you are here for her before you crawl into her bed." Melinda whispered but suddenly Mara screamed and started thrashing around.
Bullet didn't even hesitate as he rushed to the bed and began calling her name. "Mara! Mara! It's okay, sweetheart. I'm here. No one is going to hurt you." Bullet repeated over and over until Mara opened her eyes and looked around. She had a look of pure terror on her face but when she saw Bullet, she whimpered as she pulled the sheet closer to her face.
"I'm sorry. I can't seem to sleep without dreaming that he's coming for me again." Mara said fearfully.
"We understand dear and you have nothing to be sorry for." Melinda said.
"Mara, would you feel safer if I stayed here with you? I won't let anyone hurt you." Bullet asked hopefully.
Mara blushed but nodded her head. She had already admitted to Melinda that Bullet made her feel safe when he was close.
"Okay. Melinda, can you stay with her long enough for me to get a shower? I won't be long." Bullet said. "Mara, I'll be right back. Okay?" He told her softly.
"Okay." Mara said.
As soon as Bullet left the room, Mara pushed her way out from under the covers and told Melinda, "I need to use the restroom."
Mara hurried to the bathroom and was glad she had come to check because Doc had been right and she had begun her cycle. She changed the pad and prayed it was going to be enough. "Oh lord, what if I bleed over and get it on their bed? How do I tell him I've started?" Mara thought to herself.
She cleaned up, made sure to wash her hands with soap and then went back into the bedroom. "Melinda? Doc was right. I've started my cycle. I normally bleed kind of heavy the first day or two and have to use super tampons and an overnight pad. I don't suppose you have any adult diapers do you? It's going to be embarrassing enough trying to tell Bullet I've started my cycle without him finding out by waking up in a blood stain." Mara asked.
"Actually, I think we do but if we don't, I'll send one of the prospects to the store. Hang on. I'll be right back." Melinda said and then left the room. She hurried back to the clinic and talked to Doc. She was disappointed to find out that that was an item that they didn't have.
"I'm going to send one of the prospects to the store then. That is something we should keep on hand." Melinda told him.
Doc agreed and told her "I'll call down to Walgreens and have Phil put several packages in several different sizes on our charge account ready to be picked up. That way the prospect can't get the wrong size or type. I can just see one of them having to ask for "Adult Pampers" and then being asked what size. Doc teased and Melinda laughed.
Doc walked over to the phone while Melinda went to call for a prospect. She waited outside of Mara's door for the prospect and when Carlyle showed up a minute later, she told him that he would need to go to Walgreens to pick up an order for Doc right away.
Carlyle was just walking back down the hall when Bullet came downstairs. He walked over to the bar and talked to Prez.
"Prez, Mara is having nightmares. Are we going to deal with the asshole in the shed anymore tonight?" Bullet asked.
"Well, I was going to question him more about the bar operations but you don't have to be there. You worry about your woman. We'll deal with him." Prez said.
"Just make sure you save his end for me. I'm going to make that SOB suffer before I end him." Bullet said. He trusted Prez not to make any promises to let the guy off easy by talking. The only thing he might promise him would be to make it quick. "Thanks, Prez. I'll see you in the morning."
Bullet left the bar and hurried down to Mara's room. When he saw Melinda leaning up against the wall waiting for him he quickened his step, worried that something had happened while he had been gone.
"Is she okay, Melinda?" Bullet asked, nervously.
"Yeah but I need to explain something to you, Bullet. Mara has started her cycle and it's more than likely going to be a heavy one. She says it normally is the first night but because she was also injured inside, it might be even more so.
I've sent Carlyle to Walgreens to get her some adult diapers so that she doesn't bleed through onto the bed. She's very embarrassed about the situation. You need to decide right here and now if you are going to be able to deal with it?
Also I need to warn you that a lot of women get very emotional the first day or two of their cycle. They can go from being sweet to crying a river or become a total bitch. Don't take it personally. Others just want to lay in bed with a heating pad on their stomachs and/or eat as much chocolate as they can get their hands on. Just be there for her, no matter what right now. Understand?" Melinda said.
"Lord, women are complicated creatures!" Bullet teased. "Don't worry, Melinda. I just want to be here for her. I know we can't be together until she's healed. Besides, I think I know how I feel about her but I don't know how she feels about me, yet. I just hope that she will return my feelings someday." Bullet admitted.
"I hope she does too, Bullet. In my opinion, she'll be getting a good man. Well, I'm going to hit the hay. Hopefully the house will be quiet tonight but let me know if you need help with her. You need to wake her up every couple of hours. If you can't, come get Doc right away." Melinda said. "Carlyle should be back in about half an hour."
Melinda walked back to the clinic to let Doc know that Bullet was going to stay with Mara and that she was headed to bed. She hoped he would be joining her.
Bullet lightly knocked on Mara's door and then cracked it open and called out "Mara? It's me. Is it okay if I come in?"
"Yes." Mara called out softly. She was sitting up against the headboard with her legs under the covers, looking like an angel. She had turned on the TV but had not really been paying attention to it. She watched Bullet come into the room and felt her heart race and had to admire the way he looked.
"I wonder how tall he is? He's definitely over 6 feet. His hair is not blonde but not really brown either but his eyes are such a soft brown." Mara thought to herself as he watched him approach the bed.
"Do you mind if I ask how tall you are?" She asked softly.
"6'4". How about you?" Bullet said.
"5'9"." She replied and the game of 20 questions began and continued until Carlyle came back with the diapers. There was also a bottle of Midol in there and she took some when she went to the bathroom.
When she came back, Carlyle was gone and Bullet was now reclining on the other side of the bed, under the covers. She tentatively crawled back into bed and waited for him to reach out and grab her but he didn't. But Bullet saw the look of fear on her face.
"I'm not going to hurt you, Mara. I won't let anyone else hurt you either. I know you are injured and that you have started your cycle. I'm in no hurry and while I'm hoping for more, it's totally up to you if we become more than just friends Mara. I'm not going to push or rush you. We'll move at whatever speed you need. Okay?" Bullet said.
Mara looked at him, amazed at what she hoped she was hearing. "You want to be more than just friends?" She asked with amazement.
Bullet just nodded then asked "Why do you sound like you find that unusual?"
"Because I've always been tall for a girl and up until my senior year, I was pencil skinny. All knees and elbows and so clumsy. Kids, both boys and girls, usually teased me, calling me "Tower" instead of Tamara. I was taller than all of the girls and most of the boys. I never got asked on dates except as a joke.
When it was time for junior prom, all of the other girls got asked to go but, as usual, I was either going to have to go stag or not go at all. I ended up not going. Instead, I spent that night helping my mom do laundry and general housekeeping for her day care center.
My mom used to manage a place that had several older adults that couldn't be left alone while their families worked and they interacted with the kids we watched over. Most of them were great! Like surrogate grandparents. But most of them had memory problems and we made sure they ate and took their medications on time and in the right dosages. Some of them needed help with bathing or cleaning themselves properly after using the bathroom. Oh, I hated that part but having to take care of them if they got sores from not doing it at all was worse." Mara said and then realized that this was a disgusting subject for most people even though it was old hat for her.
"The summer between my junior and senior year, I began to "blossom" and boys finally started to take notice of me and while I didn't trust most of them, I did get asked out a few times and just as I figured, they all thought I was going to lay down with them on the first date. Because I wouldn't, they didn't ask again. For seniors, the winter ball the week before Christmas break is the biggest dance of the year except for homecoming.
Believe me when I say I was shocked when the captain of the basketball team asked me to go with him. He had never really tormented me the way a lot of the others had but he had never tried to befriend me either. But I was so excited to go, especially with a boy that didn't make me look like a giant compared to him.
Anyway, my mom and I spent a whole Saturday looking for my gown. We found one that was absolutely beautiful and I was so excited to go because I'd never been to a dance before. The week before, he took me out for pizza and to the movies one night and even asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I thought he was hinting. He acted like he really liked me, for me.
Then three days before the dance, I had stayed a little late to talk to my teacher about a project we were working on and was about to leave my last class of the day when I overheard him talking to some of the other guys from our class. They were making bets on whether or not he would be able to "pop my cherry" the night of the dance and laughing that they could go drinking afterwards.
I heard him say that the only reason he had asked me was because they all knew I didn't date so they knew I was a virgin. I was crushed! I had thought he liked me. When he turned around, he saw me standing there, crying like an idiot and I felt like such a fool. I yelled at him that there was no way in hell I would go anywhere with him again and then nearly fell over when I turned and a bunch of girls that had always tormented me were standing there laughing at me.
I ran all the way home and locked myself in my bedroom and cried for hours. My parents were beyond pissed. My dad called his dad and he got grounded and his dad made him quit the team as punishment. That made me SO popular at school, don't you know.
Thankfully, my mom was able to get the money she had spent on my gown and shoes back because my parents were not rich people and my mom had spent a lot on both of them. She was also going to take me to have a mani/pedi and to get my hair and makeup done professionally but she had to cancel it all.
Needless to say that I never got asked out again. Mt. Steel is not a big community so I know most everyone there but ever since then, only a few men have asked but didn't hang around for long when I refused to lay down with them, especially on the first date.
I had never met Larry before so I didn't know him when he stopped to help me. He seemed nice and I didn't suspect he was going to try anything but almost as soon as we went into his house, he started getting grabby. When I objected he told me "tough cookies" and then he hit me so hard I passed out. When I came to, he was on top of me, raping me." Mara said, tears filling her eyes as she remembered. "It was my first time and it hurt so bad."
"Oh baby. I'm so sorry that happened to you. Please know that I'm not like that. None of us here will ever force you to do anything you don't want and none of us will ever hurt you. I'll kill anyone that even tries." Bullet said, reaching out to wrap his arms around her, hoping to comfort her. He just held her while she cried, rubbing his hand up and down her back.
Bullet had been hoping that they would talk more but when her tears stopped, Mara excused herself to go to the bathroom. She put on a clean pad after emptying her bladder, then washed up and returned to the bedroom.
"Come on. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. We had better get some sleep. I know you must be exhausted." Bullet said.
Mara climbed up on the bed and Bullet pulled her close as he prayed that he wouldn't scare her if he woke up with morning wood. He wanted so badly to tell her that she had captured his heart.
"Mara? Can I introduce you as my lady in the morning at breakfast?" Bullet asked.
"What does that mean?" Mara asked.
"It means you are my girlfriend while we date and get to know each other better. It will make you untouchable to all of the other men." Bullet explained briefly.
"I'd like that very much, Bullet." Mara said with a big smile on her face.
"Can I hold you while we sleep?" Bullet asked.
Without answering, Mara scooted closer to him and Bullet wrapped his arm around her waist. He wanted to cup her breast in his hand, but he kept it respectable and softly kissed the back of her head as he whispered "Good night, my lady."
Mara smiled and closed her eyes. "Good night, my man." she whispered as she drifted to sleep feeling happier than she could ever remember feeling. Her dreams after that were much better, even though Bullet had to wake her up a couple of times, per Doc's orders, she managed to fall right back to sleep afterwards.
~~~~~~
After Bullet left the bar, Buzzard, Blaster, Crusher and Fist went over to talk to Prez.
"Hey Prez. We were just talking about how to get information out of that guy in the shed. How about if the four of us go in and kind of buddy up to him and maybe talk you and Bullet up a bit about how badass you can be if he doesn't talk to you and tell you what you want to know? Maybe we can get him to tell us where the whores are housed and how many of them there are." Fist said.
"Hey, it can't hurt. Maybe take him some water and even a little food. Go ahead but remember, Bullet wants to be the one to finish him. Let me know in church in the morning what he has to say. Right now, I'm going to bed with my woman. I'm tired." Prez said, then finished off his beer then stood up with Amanda in his arms. Prez knew without being told that this was all Fist idea. He and Bullet had been best friends for a long time and if he could help him he would.