Broken Road (18 page)

   Cee followed Devil’s hand with a growing look of horror. “Devil please tells me it’s not true. You were smarter then that you are supposed to use condoms!”

   “It’s true. I didn’t plan on it or really even think when those things happened, but nothing can change what has happened. I’m going to finish this tour and then retire for a year or so. Lilla needs me and she and the baby are going to need a home.”

   Reaching over to take her friend’s hand Cee said, “You won’t ever be alone, I’m here whenever you need me. You know that.”

   Devil gave her a watery smile. “Thank you, but you and I both know that I have always done things alone. I think its best if I do this one that way too. I just want to be alone for a while to process, ya know?”

   Cee nodded, putting the car in second gear speeding down the mountain road.

   “I’ll call up the guys and have them get ready. The concert will be on the 12
th
in a week,” Celia looked over at Devil, “that okay with you?”

   “Yeah. The faster all of this is over the better.” After that statement the silence fell between them and Devil pressed her head against the cool glass of the car’s window. Silently she watched each tree pass and thought of what she was going to do now.

…

After a lonely week in bed and finally filled up with being lazy, Devil rose and was ready to get back in the saddle, so to speak. She knew that if she laid around mopping Winthrop would have won and there was no way she would let a man win against her again.

   Soon after her late night getaway she had gotten a call from Royal. He had demanded to know where she had gone so he could have his men come and protect her, but she had refused. He said Dutch would attack now that she had no one to look after her. So to solve to problem of protecting Lilla Devil asked Cee to look after her for a while till everything was over a done with. Cee had agreed when she saw the pleading look in Devil’s eyes.

   Devil was pissed however and couldn’t wait to get on the stage and let it out.

   “You sure you’ll be fine?” Cee asked a final time as she stopped the car in front of the Billings’ Airport.

   “I’m sure. I’ll be alone in first class and when the plane lands I’ll just go straight to the Arena.” Devil smiled at her friend, gave Lilla one last kiss and got out of the car. The Billings’ Airport was swamped with people, rushing around like hordes of ants at a sugar fest.

   Men coming home from business trips, traveling families from trips around the world, and even each person who unboarded looked tired, but happy in some way. And just when Devil was about to turn away she saw a mom carrying a sleepy two-year old on her hip.

  
I want that,
Devil thought sitting down on the nearest bench,
when had I started wanting that?

   But she knew, she had wanted to finally start that life, the life she hadn’t had as a kid and give it to a child to call her own. And now she would have two.

   “And I blew having it be the perfect life too, but we can have part of it,” she sighed getting up.

   Finding terminal 37 and boarding the plane Devil put her carry-on in the chair next to her seat in first class and sat in her plush white leather chair, waiting for the plane to take off for Great Falls where the concert was being held.

   It had been decided to move it from Billings to Great Falls on the account Celia thought it was to close of a call for Devil. And Devil was grateful that Cee had done that for her.

   “Miss Runner we’ll be taking off in a few minutes if you would please buckle up for the take off.”

   Devil looked at the curtain door and nodded, the pretty flight attendant smiled and left.

  
Not much longer now.
She leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes.

   A little girl’s scre
am jerked her up right, but was
cut off soon after it started.

   “Everyone get off the plane now, we have no business with you, however, we suggest you leave,” called out an accented deep male voice.

   For some reason, with a sinking feeling in her gut she knew who the man was. Dutch. And he was here for her.

   Panic flooded her as she tried thinking of how to get off the plane, but the only entrance and exit were in middle class blocked by Dutch and his men.

   She was trapped.

Devil’s fear however didn’t last long do to the fact her mind immediately switched into mafia mode.
Be fast, be efficient, and be ready for anything.
That had been the first thing Royal drilled into her head after adopting her. He wouldn’t stand a weak child, and Devil was far from weak.

   It didn’t help however that Devil didn’t like being trapped; she had had enough of that to last a life time thanks to her father.

   Devil slipped out of her leather seat and over to the curtain doors that separated her class from the coach class. Parting it the barest inch, she looked out. When her eyes landed on the man giving out orders she had the insane urge to laugh. She had expected a big man, well muscled about Royal’s size and his 6’3’’ height, to be Dutch. But instead this was a man shorter then Devil by many inches and gangly too. This little blonde man was no other then Dutch.

   But never did she lose her caution. No matter the man’s size he was trouble and his six giant clods of men were an even bigger problem.

   Dutch came over to the young attendant who had been nice to Devil when all were off the plane and asked, “now where is it we can find out little Devil?” He had only the faintest German accent to his rounded words.

    The poor girl shaking in her seat burst out crying and Dutch Tsk, Tsked. “Make her talk,” he told one of his men that stepped forward and grabbed the girl’s arm while raising his other hand to hit her.

   Devil gritted her teeth. If he even dared-!

    The large man pulled back his arm and let his fist fly at the girl; Devil however had already started moving and was fast enough to block the girl with her back. A heavy fit landed on her spine, popping it, and doing it had enough that would leave a giant bruise thanks to the man’s beefy hands.

   Devil smiled down at the attendant and mouthed, “Thank you”, then turned glaring at all of the men. Her shaking knees forgotten she started down at Dutch.

    “You make me sick. You have no guts if you can’t do your work yourself,” Devil growled.

    Dutch smiled brightly. “I knew you would come out for where you were hiding. It is nice to meet you, my dear.” He came forward and brushed the back of his hand along Devil’s chin. “Even more beautiful then that whore sister of yours.”

    Devil slapped his hand away.

    The girl sneaked around the men, but Dutch caught her. “Go and tell the pilot we are ready for take off and don’t you dare say a word,” he snapped.

   The girl went to the front of the plane to do so.

    He turned back to Devil with another smile and a slight chuckle as he slid into one of the chairs. “Sit.” He waved a hand at a chair from across him.

   Devil sat slowly, keeping an eye on all his men.

    “You have been very hard to find, my dear. It took me alone two years to find your sister Wylde. She was smart like you, but didn’t have so many friends to help her out like you. The Russian and Italian Mafias? Clever girl you are, and even ex OPS members from the United States services.” A note of satisfaction rang in his voice. He tilted his head studying her. “You don’t look like the type Royal would take to his bed. Children were the man’s weakness? Who would have thought?”

    Devil launched herself at him from his seat and grabbed his neck in both hands squeezing. “Don’t you ever talk about my father that way!” Devil hissed at him, slamming Dutch’s head into the window with each word.

   Dutch tried to pry her hands from his neck and finally one of his men picked up the girl and threw her back in her chair. Gasping he glared at her. “You fucking bitch!”

   Devil spat at his feet. “Damn straight!”

   After a long moment when he had his breath back, he stood over and smacked her across the face hard enough to whip her head to the side.

   Being forced down with two heavy hands on her shoulders she had to take Dutch’s smack. However it was more hilarious to Devil then painful, so she laughed.

    “Why do you laugh? Hadn’t had enough,” Dutch snapped.

    “No,” Devil said with one last laugh, “you hit like a women. After a lifetime of beatings from my father, you hit like a little girl. What kind of
grown
man
smacks
a woman?”

   Devil watched in satisfaction as Dutch’s face burned red with suppressed rage.

    Taking a deep breath his sat back down and ground out, “You are just like the name your father gave you, a devil.”

    Devil smiled her lip split and bleeding from his hit. “Thank you.”

   Running a hand threw his hair he sighed and calmed himself. When he looked at her next his calm expression was in place and his voice cold. “Your father owes us a lot of money, even though he is dead. His debt falls to you as you are the last of his family. And we expect payment in full.”

    “The plane is about to take off, all passengers please buckle up now,” the pilot announced over the intercom.

   
Damn
, Devil though. It looked as if she wasn’t going to get off the plane before it left. Not only that, but she had the sinking feeling as she looked into Dutch’s frosty blue eyes she would never get that help.

    The plane then took to the air. 

…

Dutch tapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair and explain just what he wanted from this Devil woman. She was truly better looking then her sister, but she was too wild.

   He smirked. He would just have that beat out of her. Then he remembered when he read her recodes that that idea wouldn’t work. It was the ten years of beating at her father’s hands that had made her like this. She was a piece of work to be sure, but one way or another he would have her in his bed.

   “To pay back your fathers debt you will do what your sister had been doing for me till she ran away. You will always be by my side, and in my bed.” Dutch sneered at her, “That ought to be something you can do. Your sister was very good at it you know.”

    Fury was building within Devil and she had already started on a plan when the plane had taken off five minutes before. All she had to do was get to the control room and alert the pilots of what was happening, for she would bet the attendant hadn’t said anything, being afraid for her life. If anything they could also make a call and a landing.

    Devil just had to wait for the right moment and Dutch gave it to her.

   “I am going to the restroom, you men stay here and make sure she doesn’t do anything,” he ordered his men and left toward the every back of the plane.

   After there was the faint
click
of the door closing Devil made her move not waiting a second.

   She ran for the front of the plane.

   “Hey-!” one of her guards exclaimed.

   She tipped over the cart of items in the isle and ran for the closed door. When she reached it she banged on the door until it was opened by the co-pilot.

   “What do you want woman,” he asked huffily poking his head out. He caught a glimpse of the man running after her and she forced her away in. When in the cockpit, Devil slammed the door and locked it.

    “What the hell is going on!” the pilot exclaim, not taking his eyes from his work.

    “There is a gang of mafia terrorists on this plane and you need to land now,” Devil ordered in huffs.

   That got him to look at her disheveled clothes and bleeding lips. The young pilot’s lips thinned and he nodded looking back out the windows.

   The banging on the door started and Devil felt the door shiver at her back.

   “Make in a call to the nearest port now, Jacobs,” he ordered his co-pilot who was still standing, stunned.

   The other pilot sat down and immediately started to make his call.

   “Where the hell did she go?” Devil heard Dutch shout on the other side of the door.

   “She’s in the cockpit, Boss,” answered a deep timber.

   “Well then open that fucking door and get her out! We cannot afford her stopping this plane!” Dutch screamed.

   The pounding stopped and a body was hurled at the door from the other side. The door bulged and Devil moved away from it, breaking out in a sweat.

   A sudden pain striked her in her stomach.

    “Hush,” Devil whispered putting a hand to her still flat stomach, “everything is going to be fine.”