Chapter 7:-
Ransom and Nicky Fingers walked into Benny's office with no idea why they had been called in by the Boss, when they saw Taylor and Matty they wondered what the hell was going on.
Sam knocked on Benny's door, and put a tray of coffee and cups on the table. Sam had been Rachel's friend and he wanted to know what the hell was going on. Matty told him, Ransom, and Nicky what happened. They all looked at Taylor, who was now sat with his head in his hands.
Benny gave Ransom the file, he and Nicky went through it, nodding, recognizing names. Ransom was Rachel's godfather; he was actually her uncle too, considering it was his sister Teddy 'knocked up'. His face was as black as thunder. He remembered the way Teddy had treated Angie before she got pregnant; Ransom had always been convinced he got her pregnant on purpose because Theresa Deserve couldn't have kids. Teddy drove Angie to near suicide, she ended moving to England to get away from him and he'd still hounded her there. He would not give up till he got that baby away from her; and now Rachel was pregnant, and Teddy hated Taylor.
Nicky took the file, he could feel Ransom's anger, and it was as tangible as Taylor's. "I know this P.I. guy," Nicky said. "I'm gonna go check him out. Taylor, Ransom. Come on. Matty, stay here, just in case."
Matty did not like this, not one bit. He was going with them. Nicky pushed him back into the room, "No, stay here. I need muscle here too. Gonna send over a couple of toughs. If it comes down to what I think it's going to come down to, we'll need all the muscle we can get."
Taylor hugged Matty, and Innez, before leaving with Ransom and Nicky.
Ransom drove them over to the Private Investigator's office. Taylor sat in the back and Ransom watched him through the rear view mirror. Benny had chosen his words very carefully when he'd read the file and heard the names. When Ransom saw the name Tony Carmine, he too, chose not to say it aloud. Last thing they needed was Taylor to hear 'Tony the Rape' had his woman.
In this business, names stuck – Tony got his at 21; he claimed it was a mistake but the poor girl committed suicide.
Ransom was good at debt recovery and Nicky the Fingers could break into anything, anywhere.
Ransom thought about Jose Mendez – a twisted little fuck who'll work for whoever pays the most. They would get what information they needed from him – which is why he'd wanted Taylor along. If Mendez had trouble giving up the information, Taylor would squeeze it out of him, the way Taylor did best.
Ransom looked at Taylor again, through the mirror: if the big guy did eat himself with worry first then he'd smoke himself to death. 'Poor kid,' he thought. 'Rachel will be worried to death about him.'
Jose Mendez office was a seedy little dive, rather like the seedy little man who occupied it. They burst through the door, leaving the skank secretary open mouthed. Jose Mendez jumped up from his chair and backed up to the wall, reaching for his gun in his shoulder holster. Ransom and Nicky had their guns ready and Jose stopped reaching. With two huge guns in his face, he didn't want any trouble.
"We're looking for who hired you to find Rachel Deserve," Ransom got in his face, an intimidating man at the best of times, and in your face even worse. "Tell us who hired you, and maybe we won't let Taylor have to ask you."
Mendez eyed up Taylor, he'd heard of his reputation, and no way would he survive him, even with a gun.
Taylor squared up; his huge body filled the doorframe in which he stood.
Mendez opened his mouth to talk, "you'd better be about to tell the fucking truth, fuck-wit." Ransom shoved his gun to Mendez's temple.
"Ok, ok! The guy was her father, Teddy Deserve. He said she'd been kidnapped by him," he pointed to Taylor. "And some other guy, Benny Chains son, I think."
Taylor roared up, "That bastard is dead! Who fucking hired you?" Taylor was across the room in two strides and had Mendez round the throat. A whimper escaped Mendez's throat. "WHO FUCKING HIRED YOU? Don't make me ask you again!"
"It was Teddy Deserve, he stood right there, with photos of the girl and all, told me to bring her back here. Told me he'd pay double to get her away last night." Mendez was shitting himself, Taylor was twice his size. He was seriously regretting taking this job.
Taylor slammed Mendez down into his chair, grabbed his arm and twisted it, until they all heard the bone snap. Taylor stood back, "she's my woman, not Teddy's. And she's fucking pregnant. If anything happens to her, I'm coming back to break every other bone in your body." Mendez nodded. Tears of humiliation, of pain, of fear, ran down his face.
"Where has he got her?" Ransom stood over him, gun at his temple again.
"I…don't…know," Mendez voice was barely more than a whimper. Ransom looked at Taylor, and Taylor squared up.
"I…really…don't…know…honest," Mendez was practically pissing himself in fear. If he did know, he would have told them.
Ransom almost let Taylor break more bones, but judging by the look on Mendez's face, he was telling the truth.
"Don't let me have to come back here again, over this," was Ransom's parting comment, as they left the building.
They got back in the car, and headed back to Benny Chains office. Ransom noticed Taylor's anger had subsided a notch, obviously breaking bones made him feel better.
"I've been so worried about you sweetie. Took us a couple of months to find you," Teddy was sat beside her on the couch. "Had all my best men searching for you. I told you I owned you." He brushed hair away from her face and his touch physically repulsed her.
"How can it be you? We shot you, at least a dozen times, you were dead," her face was full of confusion. Rachel felt sick again and this time she didn't think it would go away.
"Like I always told the boys, 'don't go into any situation without being prepared.' Bullet-proof vest. The plan was to kill Matty and come back and get rid of Benny Chains, he never deserved his position, and he was never ruthless enough. Always putting fucking family first. Having that half wit kid killed my sister. And you? Falling for that fucking Jew bastard. Letting me down like that!" Teddy was ranting.
'He's gone mad,' she thought as she tried to sit up. 'He's fucking insane.'
"Now what are we going to do?" he looked at her. "You're just like your mother, opening your legs for any dog sniffing around."
Her anger exploded, "I have never slept around. Never! My mother loved you, she thought you'd marry her, be with her forever. You thought you could buy me? You never owned me, NEVER owned me." She shook her head. "The only man I ever loved was Taylor, always Taylor. I have only ever slept with Taylor. There will never be anyone else for me. Do you understand? I loved him before you sent me to England and I loved him as soon as I saw him again. I have NEVER opened my legs like a bitch!"
She spat the words with such venom; he slapped her across the face, knocking her back against the couch.
'Hurry up and find me, Taylor. Please. Baby hurry up and find me,' her heart was begging. She felt her cheek sting from the slap and tears streamed down her face.
"You needn't think he's going to come and find you," Teddy sneered at her. "By now he'll either be dead or fucking the next bitch!"
Rachel stood up, her anger seethed out of every pore. "You can say what you like Teddy, but I will never belong to you, even if you lock me up and beat me senseless I will never be yours. I belong to no-one. All these years I've been here, did you never, not once, realize I stayed because of Taylor and Matty? Uncle Benny treated me better than you, he treated me like a daughter," Teddy raised his hand to hit her again. "Go, on. Hit me. Go on, I don't care what you do, 'cos when Taylor get's here, you're dead anyway."
"He won't find you. They aren't going to come and rescue you," Teddy went to the door. "And when that bastard is born, you'll understand why I'm doing this." He went out the door and locked it behind him.
Rachel sat down on the edge of the couch and looked around the room, she knew this room. It had no windows, one door, nothing else. They'd moved the couch in for her and took out the chair she'd watched her father kill Jake Vincetti in right before he sent her to England.
She put her head in her hands and cried. She begged for Taylor to come and get her. And she was very scared. Her sadistic father had gone completely insane.