Every Little Piece of Him Read online

  Craig ran his hands through his hair. "I don't even know where to begin. I've got fifty dollars in my wallet. My car is back home."

  "I'm more concerned about our loss of equipment. Without it, we're fucked for playing any gigs that we've already scheduled." Brad walked a few feet away. "I'm going to call my brother and see if he can send some money. We'll need to rent a car to get back to Missoula."

  "Let's try to step back for a few hours and think things over." Iliana wrapped her coat covered arms around herself. "Once we know what is going on with the fire inspection, I've got money to get us all home. I can't deal with everything right now."

  "Yeah, I hear you. Damn..." Craig lifted his hands. "Let's crash and deal with this in the daylight."

  "Did we have insurance on the equipment?" Brad's perpetual frown bothered Anders.

  The guy could see what was in front of his fucking face. Iliana was in no shape to discuss the loss she'd suffered tonight.

  He gathered her in his arms and whispered, "Come with me. You can sleep for a few hours away from everything."

  She nodded without saying anything and moved when he guided her away from the others. Almost to the door, the fire inspector called his name. He turned around without letting Iliana go.

  "Yes?" he said.

  Jay Kramer held out a piece of paper. "We're going to ribbon off the area around the motorhome and ask that nobody enters the site. I'm going to assume you have security cameras."

  He nodded.

  "I'll be contacting the state police, who will be in charge of the investigation after I turn in my report. They'll want to see your recordings," said Jay.

  "You know how the fire started?" asked Iliana. "I'm the owner of the RV, or what remains of the motorhome."

  "I've found broken glass under the front carriage of the motorhome and after further testing, picked up traces of an accelerator on the ground. Considering there is nothing left of the RV, I believe we're looking at arson." Jay looked at them both. "The fire will now be turned over to the police as a crime, and they'll be in contact with you. Because of the hour and location, you'll probably hear from them sometime tomorrow. As the owner, you'll be staying here?"

  Iliana looked at Anders. He said, "Yes, she'll be staying here."

  "The police will probably have their own timetable on how long they'll need you for their investigation." Jay bid them goodbye and walked away.

  She turned to Anders. "Arson? Who would do that?"

  "I don't know." But, he'd find out. "Let's get you inside and warmed up."

  After giving her one of his T-shirts and convincing her to have a glass of wine to relax, he tried to urge her to get in his bed and rest. She refused, wanting a blanket and to stretch out on his bear skin rug instead of the comforts of a mattress.

  She curled onto her side. "I don't understand any of this."

  He tucked the blanket over her shoulder and smoothed her hair back. "Try not to think about it tonight."

  She looked up at him. Where he expected tears and fear, only clear blue eyes reached out to him, begging for answers.

  "Thank you for being with me tonight. I'm sorry about causing so much trouble while you're trying to run a business. I would never want to—"

  He kissed her softly and then pulled back. "Turn over."

  Catching her off guard, she rolled to her other side. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her back against his chest. "Now, close your eyes."

  "I keep seeing the flames." She shivered. "Why would someone do this to me? The time it took to find Craig and Brad...I thought they were..."

  "They're safe." He held her tighter. The answers would come, but for now, he needed her to settle down. He had to think.

  Was the person who started the fire after her or after the Lair?

  He had enemies. It was impossible to believe the fire was a random attack.

  By the time Iliana's breathing slowed, and she finally rested, he was no closer to figuring out who topped the list of suspects.

  Gently moving away from her, he stood and waited to see if she'd wake up, knowing he'd get back on the floor and hold her if she needed him.

  Iliana snuggled deeper under the blanket, her hair fanned out across the bear skin rug. Anders pulled himself away from wanting to stay with her and walked down the hallway to his office.

  He needed to see what was caught on the security tape before the Montana State Police arrived and pushed their way into the Lair and his business.

  He partially closed the door to give him time to flip off the screen if Iliana walked in and yet allowed him to hear if she called for him. Using the remote, he turned on the widescreen and sat down. The fire happened between one o'clock and two o'clock in the morning.

  Finding the recordings between the times he needed for the back of the building, he studied the screen, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

  The motorhome remained dark. His first thought that one of the band members came back to the RV, maybe had a smoke or heated up something to eat and left the gas burner on disappeared the longer he watched. Nobody went near the vehicle.

  A beam of headlights swept over the first cabin in view. The second cabin. The third cabin.

  Anders leaned forward, studying the screen.

  A vehicle came into view of the camera. A small light appeared to arch over the screen. A second later, an explosion happened to take his eyes off the car. He stopped the recording and restarted it to ten seconds earlier.

  Ignoring the Molotov, he studied the screen until the car came into view again and paused the frame. He got out of the chair and walked closer.

  The dark shape of the vehicle caught his attention. Needing more info, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and called Mac to come upstairs. Not wanting his manager to wake up Iliana, he went to the top of the stairs and waited for him.

  Mac came through the door. Anders motioned him up and said, "Iliana is sleeping in the living room."

  Mac stopped beside him. "Problem?"

  "I need you to take a look at something." He walked down the hallway into his office, pointing at the screen. "Can you make the picture bigger? I want to get a better look at the person in the driver's seat."

  Mac took the remote from him. "It's in the menu."

  The picture on the screen blurred before coming in sharper and closer. Anders stepped back to get a better view. His chest tightened.

  "Son of a bitch," he muttered, recognizing the driver as Owen Roberts who tried to ignite the Lair by causing a propane leak a couple of years ago. "Can you wipe this camera recording without it showing that someone deleted it?"

  "It'll be blank," said Mac.

  He shook his head. "No, that won't work. It needs to show something."

  "Only way to do that would be to change the date on the program. Turn Thursday night's recording into last night. The dates would move back a day, and you can eliminate all of last night's recordings." Mac paused. "But, it wouldn't have the fire recorded."

  "Fuck," he muttered.

  He needed to deal with Roberts without the law getting involved. The attack was on him. Iliana was the unfortunate person who got caught in the middle.

  The last thing he wanted was to give Roberts another opportunity at him. And, he would if pushed against a wall by the police. Roberts would point fingers straight back to Anders.

  "That'll be all, Mac." He waited until he heard the door click shut downstairs and then he closed the office door.

  Backed into a corner on how to proceed, he needed to take care of the problem now. At any time, the police would be here and then it'd be too late.

  His grip on the cell phone in his hand tightened. He'd need to disrupt the lives of the others. Going after Roberts on his own would be foolish. He wasn't the only one impacted by a threat.

  Quint, Will, Mark, Two-crow, and he would go down if the past were resurrected. To protect them all, he called Two-crow.

  Despite his achievements, his money, his pos
ition, the fear of knowing someone else could still break him down and take everything from him burned like an ulcer in the pit of his stomach. He'd never be free until every single one of his enemies were taken out of the world.

  Chapter 4

  Anders' manager set a laptop in front of the officers in the break room. Iliana stood between Brad and Craig off to the side of the room. They had little answers for all of the questions they were asked about the fire.

  "Have you contacted the insurance company?" whispered Craig.

  "Not yet." She shrugged. "I called my parents after I woke up. Dad said I should wait until the police are done talking with me today, and then I'll make a claim."

  "None of us have the money to purchase new equipment to jump back on our schedule. It could take the insurance company months to settle." Brad, the youngest of the trio, exhaled loudly. "I'm going to have to go back home and work for my dad. He's going to love that, and it's going to be hell for me."

  Knowing Brad wanted to break away from the family restaurant business, Iliana put her arm around him and laid her head against his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

  "Not your fault," muttered Brad.

  The disaster impacted them all, and as the one who put together and hired her band, she took responsibility for their happiness—mentally as a group and financially.

  The two police officers talked quietly with a man in a navy suit and tie who'd introduced himself as investigator Darrows. She rolled the ring on her thumb. As the one least impacted by the loss of their equipment and the motorhome, she could go home. Her parents would welcome her back to her childhood bedroom and take care of her. She could also sing on her own and make money, though that's not what she wanted. It'd taken her three years to find Craig and Brad. Waiting three months or nine months, however long it took to get the insurance money, would bring more changes.

  There was no guarantee that they'd come back together as a band again.

  Investigator Gibbons turned and spoke with Mac before standing up and approaching Iliana. "We're going to be treating this as arson."

  She crossed her arms and cupped her elbows. "You're sure someone started the fire on purpose?"

  "We have a recording of someone throwing a Molotov—a lit bottle filled with an accelerator."

  "Do you know who it was?" asked Brad.

  "We're going to take the recording back to the office and start the investigation. There's a pretty clear shot of the vehicle and the person in the driver's seat for it being taken in the dark. The lighting around Stone Lair helped in that regard. If we can get a close enough look at his face and run him through the system of prior convictions, we can get him. If not, we'll have our job cut out for us." Investigator Gibbons pulled a business card out of his pocket. "We'll be in contact with you."

  "Um, I need to go home. I was only a contractual employee here through today. I'm supposed to do a show tonight, but..." She pointed over her shoulder, knowing she had no option but to go home. "I live in Missoula."

  "Is it possible for you to stay here for a day or two?" Gibbons handed her the card.

  "I...guess." She looked at the others. "Do you want Craig and Brad to stay, too?"

  "Do they share ownership of the RV?"

  She shook her head. "It's only me."

  "Then, they're free to go home. I have their contact numbers if anything is needed in the future." Gibbons dipped his chin. "I'll be in contact."

  The investigator walked away. She blew out her breath, wishing her dad was here to help her understand what was going on and what she needed to do. Having never even received a speeding ticket before, dealing with arson, the insurance company, and an investigation was beyond her understanding.

  "I don't feel right about having you stay here by yourself." Craig rubbed her back.

  "Excuse me." Mac walked up to the group. "Mr. Stone would like you to stay at the Lair. There's a one-bed cabin that has opened up, or you're welcome to stay with him upstairs."

  Confused, because Anders left early in the morning right as she woke up from sleeping on his bear skin rug, she shrugged. "I don't know what to do."

  "Please, stay here, Ms. Iliana. Mr. Stone will be back soon, and he can help you make sense of what law enforcement is doing for you." Mac waited for her to answer.

  Thankful to have someone telling her what she should do, she nodded. "Thank you. I appreciate Anders letting me stay here."

  The thought of having Anders help her rather than Craig and Brad confused her. She knew her band members better. They'd spent the last two years traveling around Montana together.

  But, they were both in different stages of their lives, and for some reason, Anders being older brought her comfort. The fact he was attracted to her drew her toward him.

  Several times today, she'd wished he was with her while she dealt with the state police.

  "Okay, let's get you guys a rental car." She needed to take control of the situation. "I'll go inside where I can use my phone and reserve a vehicle using my credit card. Thankfully, I still have my purse. Do you guys have enough money to eat?"

  "Mac said meals are on the house," said Brad.

  She sighed, feeling like the amount of money she'd owe Stone Lair was piling up the longer they stayed. "I'll come find you once I have everything reserved."

  Lost in the list of things she needed to do, she walked out of the break room and proceeded to the bar. At eleven o'clock in the morning, she found a table in the corner that would be quiet, and she wouldn't disturb anyone while she made the necessary phone calls.

  TWO-CROW STEPPED AWAY from the building as Anders drove up the dirt road and parked beside the four vehicles already there. He was the last to arrive.

  It'd been twenty-eight years since he, Quint, Will, Mark, and Two-crow had run away from the hell their captures put them through as teenagers. As they'd promised each other at seventeen years old, they'd stayed together in the Bitterroot Mountains after escaping from where they later learned was Mexico. It took him two years to figure out a way to get into the United States and work his way up to Montana where he'd found the others waiting for him.

  Anders stepped out of his vehicle. The years disappeared.

  First Quint stepped toward him. Then, Will and Mark. Together, they met Two-crow twenty feet from the doorway of the abandoned miner's shed.

  His throat spasmed. His past flashed in his head. The smell of the dogs. The coldness of his fears. His heart pounded, ready to run.

  He neither greeted the others or acknowledged the time that'd passed since they needed to come together and take care of their past. The only time they got together lately was to make sure the men after them, the men who were afraid their secret would be told, were dead.

  Two-crow said, "Owen Roberts is inside."

  "Alive?" asked Anders, knowing out of all of them Two-crow would be the one to find the man responsible for the arson. As a private investigator, his connections ran deeper, and his skills remained unmatched by others.

  Two-crow nodded. "I got lucky and found his car, which led me to him. I called Mark, since he was closest, and we got him."

  When he'd put the call into Two-crow, he asked for the man to be brought in alive. Anders fisted his hands. The others had rallied together without him, while he'd stayed with Iliana.

  Quint put an unlit cigarette above his ear. "Are we still taking turns?"

  They'd all killed. Each of them taking responsibility for getting rid of the men after them.

  He was here to witness the death. To make sure the man died. But, because the fire happened on his property, he said, "I'll do it."

  Since losing Joney while being held captive, they'd made a pact that they'd never face the past alone.

  Anders reached behind his back and removed the pistol. "Let's get this over."

  He strode forward with the others behind him. It was important that nothing stopped Will, Quint, Mark, Two-crow, and him from living the rest of their lives on their terms.

&nbs
p; He'd come from nothing. No one wanted him. No family. But, he was going to live his fucking life the way he wanted.

  It was only the five of them left. Joney was gone but remained a part of them.

  Inside the empty building, he found Owen Roberts tied to a post. He lifted the pistol and shot one of the men responsible for kidnapping him and the others out of the state's care between the eyes.

  He felt nothing. No remorse. No guilt. No emotions.

  The others walked around him, untied the son of a bitch and let him drop. He put the pistol underneath his belt and helped carry Roberts outside.

  Silently, he went and got the shovel out of his truck. Quint carried water and bleach jugs into the building. Will and Mark joined him, digging the hole.

  Only Two-crow walked away to watch and listen for anyone coming up the dirt road high in the mountains.

  Within a half hour, he got into his vehicle and drove away. They all went in a different direction, not knowing if they'd see each other again or another nightmare from their past would visit.

  Chapter 5

  Turning on his phone, Anders scrolled through his messages and puffed on a cigar on the landing to the back door to his private quarters. Mac had already updated him on everything happening at the Lair during the few hours he'd left to meet the others to get rid of Roberts.

  He stubbed out his cigar and dumped it in the small metal trashcan. Per Mac, Iliana had stayed in the bar all day after seeing Craig and Brad off.

  Walking inside, he went straight through the living room and down the hallway, taking the back staircase to the bar. All he wanted to do was stay upstairs, relax after a few drinks, and hide Iliana away from everyone.

  Only then could he put what happened that morning out of his mind.

  He paused outside the door leading to the bar and wiped his hands over his face. Taking the life of a man who was responsible for forcing him and the others into participating in the dogfights never fazed him. Seeing Quint, Will, Mark, and Two-crow left him reeling.