Chapter 8:-
Taylor, Ransom, and Nicky got back to Benny's office and Ransom gave the run down on what had happened at Jose Mendez's office.
Taylor was finally out of cigarettes and he left the office to go and find some more. Matty and Innez followed him upstairs into the club.
Ransom told Matty as he walked out of the door, "Taylor is a tightly coiled spring, and he's ready to go any minute, watch him. He broke Mendez's arm like he was snapping a fuckin' twig." Matty nodded and closed the door behind him.
Matty smiled as he followed Innez upstairs, he was surprised it was only his arm he'd broken.
Matty and Innez found Taylor talking to Sammy, while he started a fresh pack of cigarettes, blowing smoke into the air as he smoked. Matty took the pack and helped himself to one, lighting it and putting the pack back on the bar.
Taylor turned to Innez, "your dad still in town?"
"Yes, he's still at the airstrip." It was Innez's father, Jackson Delaney, who had flown Rachel out to Montana the day before she shot her father. "Why?"
"I think you should go there. Until it's safe. So you are safe." Taylor was speaking but looking into space.
Matty nodded in agreement. It was bad enough, without having to worry about Innez. Now he'd found her, he didn't want anything to happen to her. He'd lost too many people to lose anymore.
Thankfully, Innez agreed. She phoned her dad, explaining how she was in town looking up a friend and could she please come and stay for a while. Her father said he'd be delighted. Innez kissed Taylor, but couldn't find any words to say to him. Taylor nodded – neither could he.
Matty walked out with her and pulled her close to him, kissing her face all over. "Ring me as soon as you can, ok?" He nodded. "Matty, find her please."
Matty held her tight, not really wanting to let her go, he understood how she felt They'd all known each other for so long. Rachel was somehow the lynchpin to them all.
Innez kissed Matty and walked away. She hailed a cab and disappeared. Matty stood and watched the cab leave, turned and walked back into his father's club to find Taylor.
Taylor stood talking to Sammy, drinking from a bottle of water and for the first time today, not smoking.
"Matty," Taylor said, bluntly. "What the fuck am I supposed to do? Where do I go to find her? How do I get her back?"
"Man, we'll get her back, you know we will. Don't beat on yourself, it's not your fault. By the way," Matty picked up Taylor's cigarettes and pocketed them. "Smoking yourself to death isn't going to help her."
Taylor just looked at Matty, his eyes full of despair. "I gotta get her back. I'm nothing without her. If he lays one hand on her, just one hand…" tears ran down his face and let them fall, unheeded to the floor.
Sammy looked on, "maybe he's stupid enough to take her back to his old club. I know Theresa's been running the place – keepin' it going. And Teddy was never rational when it came to Rachel, so maybe, well, it's worth a look ain't it?"
Matty and Taylor looked at Sammy and then at each other. "Nah, he wouldn't be that stupid, would he?" Matty said.
Taylor stood up and grabbed his coat from the stool beside him and ran back downstairs to Benny's office. Matty took off after him, "Taylor, wait." But Taylor was gone.
Taylor burst through Benny's door. "Teddy's club, NOW!" He grabbed hold of Ransom, "and I'm gonna need a piece! Fuck, man, NOW!!"
Ransom shook Taylor off, "you think he's took her there?" he asked.
"A place to start," Taylor said and made for the door.
"You don't really think he'd take her there, do ya?" Benny asked. "Surely he wouldn't be so fuckin' stupid!"
"Where else is he gonna go?" Nicky spoke for the first time. "He's supposed to be dead. Fuck-bitch Theresa would do anything for him. He's gotta hide somewhere."
Ransom spoke, "and he knows if you knew he was alive, you'd have a contract on him like lightening. And like Taylor said, it's a place to start. Gonna ring Kasey, get him to bring some more muscle, meet us there."
Ransom picked up the phone and called Kasey, told him the plan and where to meet.
Ransom, Nicky, Taylor and Matty left Benny in the office and went outside to Ransom's car. He popped the trunk and gave Matty a gun – Taylor picked his own, a pair of handguns. Ransom slammed the trunk shut and they got in the car.
Ten minutes later, they were outside Teddy's club and waited for their backup; Ransom's nephew Kasey and three of his friends. Big guys, all of them, running their own deals all over Brooklyn.
Kasey's car pulled up and four huge men got out; Ransom, Nicky, Taylor, and Matty walked over to them. The boys had all gone to school together, except Nicky and Ransom. Kasey had dropped everything when Ransom rang him and told him Rachel was in trouble.
"Hey, man," Kasey hugged Taylor. "I'm so fuckin' sorry."
"Matty," They hugged. "Buds, we've missed you so much round here, ain't the same without ya."
Taylor stood, hunching his shoulders up and down, flexing his muscles – he was so ready for this. So ready to beat the living shit out of Teddy Fuckin' Deserve. Hell, out of anyone who crossed his path.
Ransom told them what the plan was: Nicky, Taylor, Matty and himself through the back, Kasey, Sean, Chris and Shane go in through the front. Shoot to kill. There was no love lost here.
Kasey and his boys went round the building to the front; Ransom, Nicky, Taylor and Matty prepared to go in the back. They all drew their weapons. "Ready?" Taylor said, mainly to Matty.
"Ready," Matty said. And prayed silently to God that they'd come out of this.
Taylor and Ransom shouldered the door and it splintered inwards off its hinges. They went inside, not bothering to hide the noise they were making, actually hoping to draw them out one by one.
A man came out of a door in front of them, "Oh fuck!" Both Taylor and Matty recognized Ben Frazetti. Taylor shot him as he went for his gun – straight in the neck.
"No mistakes this time." He said and Matty nodded.
They all turned towards the front of the building as shots rang out. Kasey and the boys must have found Teddy's henchmen.
Taylor and Matty went through the door that Frazetti had just come out of. There was a flight of stairs leading down to the basement.
They'd all been in the club many times and knew what was down there. It was a similar layout to Benny's; an office, a makeshift casino, a couple of storage rooms and Teddy's favorite, the room he liked to call 'The Intimidation Room.'
Matty saw the look on Taylor's face; they both had realized where she was locked.
Kasey burst through the side door, their guns smoking. Sean had taken a bullet to the shoulder, it looked worse than it was, more blood than anything.
They filed up to go down the stairs, Ransom pushed Taylor back, if anyone was gonna get shot walking into a trap it wasn't going to be Taylor, not today.
Even Matty placed himself in front of Taylor, without even thinking; just like Taylor had once done for him. No way was he gonna let Taylor take a bullet today. He'd die first.
Rachel heard gunfire; she jumped up, 'Taylor.' She knew it was him – it had to be him, he'd come for her.
She heard the key turn in the door, "Taylor!" and she ran to the door.
Teddy sneered at her as he walked in. "No sweetheart, it's me. Seems like your hero just won't stay the fuck away."
She tried to push past him, to get to the door, "TAYLOR!" she screamed.
Teddy pushed her back, shoving her hard in her stomach. She fell to the floor, pain ripped through her as she landed.
Teddy slammed the door shut, turning the key quickly and putting it in his pocket.
"I've told you, I will kill you before I give you up to him," he pulled her up from the floor. The shots went silent and Teddy looked towards the door as they heard thumping against it.
She knew it was Taylor. Her mind concentrated on him breaking down the door as Teddy pulled his gun from its holster and pointed it at her pregnant belly.
The door shattered and Taylor, Matty and Kasey burst through the door. Taylor saw the gun at her belly, and the tears streaming down her face.
He knew something was wrong from the look of pain engraved on her face. "Let her go, Teddy."
"What? To a fuck like you? Never. I told you I owned her, she belongs to me. You think I bought her up to fall for dumb-shit when she could have the head of any Mob, have it all?" Teddy eyes were wild and he pressed the gun into her belly.
Taylor's guns were aimed at Teddy's head; his eyes darted from Rachel to Teddy and back. Matty stood behind him. Watching, gun poised.
"I SAID; LET HER FUCKING GO, NOW!" Taylor cocked both guns and looked at Rachel. She closed her eyes and heard two shots ring out above her head and the iron-like grasp fell away from her. Her body shook with fear, her legs threatened to buckle. Her head spun and her body fell to the side.
Taylor caught her, throwing his guns to the floor. He held her tight, kissing her forehead. Tears of relief ran down his face.
Matty went to Teddy, two bullet holes peppered his forehead, – and he wouldn't be getting up from this one.
Taylor lifted Rachel up in his arms; her eyes flickered but stayed closed. Ransom saw her and said, "We need to get her to a hospital quick."