Ruin’s Embattlement (Tenillo Guardians AIMC #19)

Ruin Chapter 19

Desi’s call had me on edge. I was so damn revved by the prospect of catching that cowardly bastard Vargas and issuing the lesson he deserved. He liked to beat people, especially defenseless kids. Let’s see how he liked to be on the receiving end. Yeah, Isaiah was an adult, but a lifetime of abuse had led to this. People like his dad didn’t deserve to have kids in my book.

After speaking to Desi, I placed calls to Phantom and Dad. I knew they’d mobilize the troops, so to speak. Knowing I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on painting, I went to find Saint. I met him as he was coming out of his office.

“Saddle up. We’ve got work to do,” he said.

“So you heard. I was coming to tell you.”

“Yes, I heard. And I know you want to leave. I can’t sit here waiting, either. It’s probably unlikely we’ll spot them just riding through town, but it’s worth a try. Sin is sending out a group text to meet back home in an hour. We have time to do a short search.” Just as he finished telling me that, our phones chimed with incoming texts. It was Sin, and it said what Saint said it would. Pocketing our phones, we told the rest of the shop we would be back tomorrow, then left.

No one objected or asked where we were headed. They knew the club members did this at times, but when it transpired, it was none of their business. Those who asked constant questions or ran their mouths about club business didn’t last long.

We kept our heads on a swivel as we rode through the streets. I wasn’t startled to see other Infidels riding through town while we were. We’d wave or give each other a chin lift and continue on our way. I was disappointed when we didn’t spot a vehicle matching the one Desi described. Finally, we had no choice but to head back to the compound. If we didn’t, we’d be late, and Sin hated people to be late.

When we arrived, most of the bikes were parked outside the clubhouse. We had ten minutes to spare. We parked and went straight inside. Guys were standing around talking. A few old ladies were there, too, including mine. When Desi spotted me, she rushed over to me. I leaned down a little. She needed comfort, so I enveloped her in my arms, hugged her closely, and gave her a kiss. When we finished, I rolled my eyes at some of the teasing I heard.

Everyone in the club was beyond happy for us, but it didn’t stop them from teasing and giving us a hard time, especially when they saw PDA. Some would bemoan their eyes and claim they were going to be sick. It was all good fun, and we played along. Today, Desi blew kisses to them.

“I know you didn’t find him, and you’re all gathering to go after him. You don’t know how much I wish I could be there when you catch him. The look on his face will be priceless, I bet.”

“Hopefully, we’ll get him today. As for seeing him, you can’t go with us, but I might be able to take a video of his face or have someone do it.”

“Honey, if you can, do it. Okay, I know you’re about to have a powwow. I’ll stay here and wait.”

“Where’s Shane?” I glanced around the room but didn’t see him.

“Where do you think? He’s out playing on the playground with Olivia and the other big kids. He got bored, and they bailed on us. They don’t know what’s going on, only that their parents are all hanging in here and being boring.”

“Ah, to be a kid again. Alright, Sin’s signaling us. See you.” I dropped a peck on her lips, and then, like a wave, the members moved off toward church. No one procrastinated getting inside and in their seats. Once we all were, Sin got us started. Phantom was sitting at the table with his laptop when we came in, which gave me hope he had something. His brow was furled in concentration.

“Phantom, tell us you’ve found him. It was pure luck for Desi to run into his wife at the salon. I wonder why she stopped in there when she had him with her. He doesn’t strike me as one to be patient and wait on his wife,” Sin said as his opening statement.

“Doubtful, Pres. So, based on what the four ladies recalled about the car, along with the time they saw it, I was able to reconstruct their route. It wasn’t enough to follow them all the way after they left. They switched to secondary streets and alleys, which mostly didn’t have cameras. However, before Mrs. V saw Desi, they didn’t seem to bother to drive all sneaky. They were on the main streets, and there were a lot of cameras there. I worked my way back and found they came in from the northeast end of town, out where the railroad tracks are. We know who owns the bulk of the land on this side of that area, so there’s no way he’s been hiding there. However, on the other side of the tracks, there’s open land, scattered homes, and old buildings. Any of those could be where he’s been,” Phantom updated.

“So we just need to go out there and check every structure we find. Is that what you’re saying?” Sin asked.

Phantom’s furrowed brow smoothed out, and a smile spread. “Now, Pres, since when is that all I’ve had? Give me some credit. This gave me a trail to follow. I’d already checked to see if the family owned any other properties near Tenillo, but it came up empty. But that was when I had the whole area to search. Narrowing it to out there, I was able to dig. It took some work, but I found one connection to that area.

“It seems that Mrs. Vargas’s great-uncle, the black sheep of the family, lived there years ago. When he died, no one in the family had anything to do with him. There was no one he left his property to. It has sat out there, rotting and unoccupied for years. It’s too much of a coincidence for it to be there and Vargas to be coming from that general area. I believe we should go check it out.”

“Great job, Phantom. I agree. We’re not out anything by searching there,” Sin agreed.

“Out of curiosity, what made this uncle such a black sheep, do you know?” Ashes asked.

“I do know. It seems her great-uncle was gay, and in her family, that was unacceptable. Nothing has changed for those people, even over decades. Probably all the inbreeding they’ve done,” Phantom said in disgust. The rest of us all muttered and nodded in agreement.

“Alright, I say the hell with waiting until dark. We’ll see if he’s there now. If he is, we’ll take care of business and get back. Does anyone object or have a different idea?” Saint asked.

“I don’t object, just have a question. Are we bringing him back here or doing the deed there?” I asked. I was all for doing it now.

“I think it might be better if we do it there. Is it secluded enough that we won't have unwanted guests?” Sin asked Phantom.

“It’s very secluded,” he answered.

“I would advise, though, that we not go out in force on our bikes and stay out there for an extended period of time since it might attract attention if anyone were to see us on that end of town. You know how people love to watch us. I’d recommend going in a van or other vehicle and keeping a low profile. We’ve done it before,” Executioner chimed in.

The rest of us instantly agreed on this idea. Since we weren’t going to kill someone, there wasn’t much preparation for it other than deciding who would get to go and who had to stay behind. It would be overkill to send most of the club for one man. When that debate came up, before I could insist I be one of them, Dad interjected.

“I know Ruin wants to go, as do all of us. However, I suggest that I go in addition to him since this involves his old lady’s friend. Desi is my daughter, and as such, I should back him up.”

“And let me guess, as Ruin’s brother-in-law, you want to go,” Sin said to Executioner with a smirk.

“I’m needed as the enforcer, and I’m family, so I’m doubly needed,” Ex said with a straight face.

Sin studied us for several moments and then smacked his hand on the table. “All of us would love to go, but I think, in this case, this is a family matter. It’s only one man, so I vote Ruin, Omen, and Executioner can take care of this, and the rest of us will stay behind.”

There were loud groans of disappointment, but no one voiced an actual objection. And just like that, the three of us were in. I wasn’t upset with the decision. I didn’t need anyone to help me teach that man a lesson. If I got my way, all they’d do was watch.

All we had to do was get a vehicle, and we’d be off. We had ones that couldn’t be traced to any of us. A quick stop to tell Desi, Mom, and Skye, and we were gone. My eagerness was beginning to bubble up. I hadn’t had to do something like this in a while.

???

The drive to the property Phantom found took about an hour. It was further out than we’d thought. It had taken a few minutes at the compound to say goodbye and get the old van we decided to use. We decided when we got there to stop not far from the house. We preferred if he were there, he wouldn’t hear us coming. We wanted it to be a surprise. Before we got there, Phantom called to let us know Mrs. Vargas had been spotted in town in her usual car. She was alone. There was always a chance she’d taken him to their house, but we highly doubted it. He’d be stupid to do that, although being in town at all was pretty dumb.

It was an easy hike from the van to the dilapidated house. I wasn’t sure, by the looks of it, if it was safe to be inside. The fact he’d been possibly hiding here for the past five days told us he was scared. But if so, again, why risk going to town? Off to the side, parked under a tarp, was a car. I’d bet money it was the one they’d used earlier. A quick recon of the place showed there was only one entrance, the front door. I thought that was unusual, but it worked in our favor. We’d breach it and track him down.

We were prepared in case he had a gun. All three of us were armed, which was typical. Readying our weapons, I cautiously touched the door handle to check to see if it was locked. No surprise, it was. It wouldn’t be a problem. We could either pick the lock or kick it in. As rickety as it looked, we chose to kick. Dad and I let Ex have that job, although any one of us could do it. Executioner counted off with his fingers. As soon as his last finger dropped, he drew up one of his massive legs and kicked the door right below the handle.

The noise it made as the door and most of the frame splintered was damn loud. No way he didn’t hear us coming. We went in as one. I went left, Dad went right, and Ex was in the middle. We didn’t linger in one spot. If Vargas did have a gun, it was an excellent way to get your ass shot. As we peeled off to start our search, it was rendered unnecessary.

There was a loud squeal, one that, for a moment, made me think a pig was living in the house. Except it wasn’t a pig. I saw a person darting out of a room and down a short hall. The man glanced back over his shoulder at us. It was Isaiah’s dad. I’d seen enough pictures of him to know what he looked like, even from behind. He was a large man who’d begun to develop a belly.

“Go, we’ll clear the other rooms, just in case,” Dad shouted. We thought he was alone, but it wouldn’t do well to get complacent and not verify. I left them to it. I raced down the hall to the room he’d run into. The door was closed. I didn’t waste time trying the handle. I kicked it in, though I entered in a crouch.

I spotted him right away. He was at the window, trying to yank it open. It was either rotted or sealed shut because he wasn’t moving it. His panicked glance back at me reminded me of an animal caught in a trap. He whimpered and jerked again on the window before giving up and whipping around to face me. His hands went up in the air. They were empty. Hopefully, that meant there was no gun here.

“Please, don’t hurt me. I don’t have anything to steal other than my wallet. You can have it,” he rambled. He moved toward the unmade bed, which was no doubt where he had been sleeping.

“Stop,” I barked. He froze. “I’m not here to rob you.”

“Then why did you and those other guys break in? As you can see, there’s nothing of value here. I don’t have any drugs, either.” That assumption pissed me off more.

“We came looking for you,” Executioner said from behind me. I knew they were there. One of them had given a low-key whistle, so I knew it was them. Vargas’s eyes widened. He was growing paler by the second, and his hands were shaking. He was still holding them up.

“Me! Why would you be looking for me?” Vargas asked, but there was this shiftiness to his gaze, which told me that he knew why, but I let it go.

“Vargas, why don’t you stop playing dumb? You know who we are. You and I have met,” Dad snapped. They had moved up to stand on either side of me. Our guns were stowed in our holsters.

“We have?”

I’d heard enough. He was stalling in the hopes of what? We’d walk away? Or did he think someone was coming to his rescue, or we’d get lazy, and he could escape? I had news for him—none of that was happening.

“Can we just shoot him and get it over with? Listening to his lies is making my head hurt,” I muttered, but loud enough that he could hear me.

“N-no, please, don’t do that. Umm, you’re familiar. You’re that girl’s dad. What’s her name?” he stuttered.

“You know her name. It’s Desi. She’s great friends with your son, Isaiah,” Dad added. I didn’t have enough patience for this.

“Let’s cut the games. We’re here because of Isaiah and what happened to him,” I told him bluntly.

He lowered his arms. “Why would you be here for that? Surely, the fact he got into a fight with someone isn’t your concern.”

“You can’t think of a single reason why? Really?” Executioner asked.

“No. Listen, I hate to say this, but Isaiah isn’t the person you think he is. He’s hidden it from your daughter, no doubt. His altercation with whoever it was isn’t a surprise to me. He’s been living life in a way he shouldn’t. We tried to warn him it would end badly, but he didn’t listen. When he showed up at our home in the shape he was, we weren’t totally shocked,” he said blithely.

My anger was turning into rage. Here was a dad lying his ass off and acting as if his son’s beating was his kid’s fault.

The next thing I knew, Dad was in his face, and he had him by the front of his shirt. He slammed his back against the wall. Dirt and bits of plaster rained down on them.

“Don’t stand here and tell your bullshit lie to us. We know the truth. There was no fight with someone else. You’re the one who beat that boy,” Dad snapped.

“I didn’t! I don’t know what he told you, but ask my wife. He was like that when he arrived. I tried to get him to tell me who did it, but he refused.”

“So you let your wife deal with him, and you left. Why?” Ex asked.

“The ambulance was coming. I went to search to see if I might be able to figure out from his place who did it,” Vargas was quick to say.

“According to what we heard, your wife said you thought it was our club that did it. Seeing as how we’re a gang and all that,” I spit out.

Alarm was growing on his face. He shook his head emphatically. “No, my wife is mistaken. She must’ve heard me wrong. I said I might ask your club if they had any idea who did it, not that I thought you had. She was very upset when I left, so it would be easy to get confused.”

“So you’ve been out here looking. Why? This house has been abandoned for years. Why not work with the police and from your house to discover who did it?” Executioner asked. Dad had let go of Vargas and backed off. I knew what they were doing. Ex appeared to be the calm one and acted as if he believed him. He was toying with his food. Vargas had no clue.

“I was too upset, if I’m honest, to sit back and do nothing. Isaiah may have done things that got him hurt, but as his dad, I still want to fix it. I came out here so I’d have somewhere to think and not disturb my wife. How did you find me, by the way? I thought no one knew this place existed.”

“Why don’t we go out in the main room, and we can discuss it there?” I said as calmly as I could. Vargas didn’t act overjoyed at the suggestion, but he nodded, and then, as a group, we walked out there. Dad was in front of him. I was beside him. Ex brought up the rear. It was in case the dumbass got the bright idea to run again.

There was a dusty, mouse-eaten couch out there, along with a couple of small wooden crates. I pointed to the couch. He slowly sank down. Dad stood behind it. Executioner remained by the door, and I sat on one of the crates in front of Vargas. I think he’d been using it as a table. There were papers and pizza boxes on it. I shoved those onto the filthy floor before I sat.

“You never said why you’ve been looking for me or how you found this place,” he said nervously.

Dad caught my eye and nodded. A glance at Executioner got me the same. They were leaving it to me. The time to pretend and play nice was over. I leaned forward. He automatically did the same.

“It’s actually rather simple how. We have a couple of amazing computer people, and when your wife ran into Desi today, she noted the car she was in and the fact that you were in it, too. With that information, Phantom did some sleuthing and found out about a great-uncle who died years ago and the fact that his property was abandoned. Since you and your wife were seen entering town on cameras from this direction, it was simple math.”

Sweat was beading on his forehead. I watched him gulp. “I-I didn’t know people could actually do that kind of stuff. I mean, I know they do it on TV shows, but I thought that was fiction. Good work. If I’d known you were looking for me, I would’ve come to you.”

“Enough lies, Vargas. You knew you would be on the cops’ radar, and you should’ve known you’d be on ours, especially after your wife so helpfully told the police we were the likely culprits who hurt your son. The lucky thing for us is that we have brothers on the force. She was stupid and had no idea the men she was telling that bullshit story to were connected to the Infidels,” I informed him.

“I’m sorry she did that. Like I said, she misunderstood me. I don’t want trouble. All I want is to find who did this to my son.”

“Then all you have to do is look in the mirror,” Dad said.

“Who told you that?”

“Your son, Isaiah, did. From his hospital bed,” Executioner replied.

“He must’ve been confused. No wonder. It was a traumatic experience, no doubt. I can assure you, I had nothing to do with what happened to him.”

“You didn’t? Then how did your hands get all scraped up and bruised?” I asked. His knuckles were raw.

“Oh, this, that’s from moving things here. I admit I was so upset over Isaiah that I pounded my fists into the wall.”

The man was a master liar. In most cases, I bet he lied without breaking a sweat. His fear of three bikers made him show his worry.

“You’re a goddamn liar! You beat him. Your wife covered for you and told you to run. A neighbor called the ambulance, not either of you—no more lies. We don’t believe them, and you’re only postponing the inevitable,” I uttered darkly.

“Why do you care so much? It’s not like he’s your friend.” He changed tactics.

“He’s Desi’s dear friend, and I consider him one,” Dad stated.

“And Desi is my wife’s little sister. Therefore, I care, and I personally like Isaiah. He’s a good guy,” Executioner added.

Vargas’s gaze landed on me. “And you? What’s your part in this? Or are you like him, and that’s why he spent so much time with her? She was a cover for what he was doing at that club of yours,” he insinuated with a sneer. I guess he was done pretending. Good.

“No, we’re not lovers, not that it matters. Who cares if we were? We’re both adults. Oh, but I forgot, you hate gays and Isaiah in general. As for why it matters, well, I detest bullies and those who hurt people for no reason. That would be enough for me to join them, but you see, Desi is mine. We’re engaged to get married. Isaiah is her closest friend, outside of me. He’s been there for her over the last few years. And like my dad and brother-in-law here, I like him. I gotta tell you, it was a battle to be the three to come for you. The entire club wanted a piece of you, including our women.”

“It’s his word against mine, and I have a witness, my wife. I never touched him.”

“Like hell, you didn’t. You have to pay for what you’ve done,” Dad snarled.

“How can you stand to be around a faggot like him? He’s an abomination. He’s going to burn in hell for his deviant behavior! You can’t do this. I’ll find cops not in your pocket, and I’ll report you if you lay a finger on me,” the idiot threatened.

“We’re not homophobic bastards like you, that’s how. He’s a great person, although I have no clue how he turned out so well with parents like you two. But the same seems to be true of Ivah, Isaac, and India. At least you didn’t poison them,” I stated.

“Oh, and good luck finding cops we don’t know. We’ll have two dozen witnesses who’ll say we were at the compound all evening. There will be recorded evidence to back it up. You’ll just have an unfortunate fall down some stairs. You know, the way Isaiah used to when he was growing up,” Executioner told him with a quirk of his eyebrow.

In a flash, I was up and had Vargas by the throat. I tightened my grip hard enough that he struggled to breathe. As he tried to claw my hand away, I gave him a shake, and then I growled.

“We know you abused him most of his life. We haven’t gotten it out of him yet if the same ever happened with the other three, but it’s enough knowing you did it to him. That when you found out he was gay, you proceeded to beat him so badly he had to be hospitalized. You should’ve stayed and let the cops have you. It would’ve been easier on you. Now, the time for talking is over. It’s time for a valuable lesson to be taught. Let the beatdown commence. Dad, will you do the honors and video this? Desi wants to watch.” I’d asked Dad to do it when we talked at the clubhouse, and he agreed. I caught his chin lift. I flashed Vargas a smile, knowing he’d find it chilling.

One hard yank, and I had him on his feet. I shoved him away to put distance between us. I wasn’t about to tie him up. I was giving him a chance to defend himself. My desire for a good fight was rising. I hadn’t had a chance to draw blood since my last mission with the Marines.

My time as a CI had me involved in a lot of things, and one of those was the interrogation of enemy combatants, namely Taliban members. I’d been more than good at my job. I found ways to get the information we needed. Time spent at Guantanamo Bay, questioning terrorists from time to time, had honed my skills. I knew I could easily take him apart if I wanted, but that wasn’t today’s assignment. I’d have to leave him alive, but he wouldn’t soon forget the lesson or what would happen if he came near any of his kids again, especially Isaiah.

From what little Desi told me these last couple of days, none of them loved their parents. India had it the worst, being stuck in the house with them. She was counting the days until she was eighteen. According to what Isaiah and his brothers told Desi, once India was free of them, they were never going near their folks again.

“This isn’t fair! Three against one,” he whined.

“They won’t touch a hair on your head. It’s me and you. However, you didn’t seem to worry about fairness when you were a grown man beating up a kid. See, I’m nicer than you.”

I guess the reality of his situation finally sank in because as soon as I finished saying the last word, he came charging toward me, his fists up. I let him throw his punch while I evaded it. I admit, he seemed to have power behind it.

As the minutes sped by, it became a game of cat and mouse. I kept making him do most of the work and kept him on the offensive. That wasn’t to say I didn’t land any punches. I did, but it wasn’t close to what I was capable of. I don’t know how long I toyed with him before Dad spoke up.

“Son, stop playing with him. Either teach him a lesson or let him go.”

There was no way in hell I’d do the latter, so I released my fury. Punches and kicks rained down. There wasn’t a spot on his body that I didn’t target. The fight went out of him. Eventually, he fell to the floor and curled up, trying to protect himself. I got in more licks before I stopped. He lay there a shivering, bloody mess. I’d controlled it enough that he wouldn’t die. Straightening, I took the rag Executioner handed me so I could clean my gloves. Not only had they protected my fists, but I left no prints in the house. Dad and Ex both wore them, too. This was just in case Vargas got the bright idea to try to go to the cops anyway. I was breathing only slightly faster.

“Here’s what you’re going to do, Vargas. We’re leaving. In ten minutes, you can call an ambulance. I don’t care what you tell them, except you won’t mention a word about us being here. A fall down the stairs is a good excuse. Once you get out of the hospital, you’re never to come near your children again. As for your daughter, we’ll be helping her to move out. You won’t oppose that move, and you’ll sign any documents we require. If you mention us, come near them, or anyone in our family, or in general breathe wrong at someone, we’ll be back, and this time, you’ll leave in a body bag. That’s a promise. Now, repeat what I said,” I ordered.

It took a few tries since he was moaning and panting, but he did it. Before walking out the door, I threw his phone on the floor about twenty feet away. He’d have to crawl to reach it, which would cause him more pain. I made sure to take the bloody rag with me. My heart felt lighter as we made the fast trek back to the van. I was able to look forward to what was to come in my life with Desi and Shane. Plus, I’d be able to tell Isaiah his childhood monster was taken care of.