River of sin

30. I shouldn't have let her go so easily

Jacob called a family meeting, his brothers looking shocked when Rachel walked in saying Jacob had sent a message to say to meet him.
"He went to see her the other night" Harrison bought his sister up to speed "he's been cagey since. Secret phone calls. Secret meetings. Not with her. He's sent a man every night to the Gemini club to report back to him that she was there still and what state she was in. He's up to something but is keeping his cards close to his chest. He's hardly slept or eaten. Here he comes." He nodded at a determined Jacob walking through the Evans offices.

"Brother, all well?" Danny asked concerned "Rach is here"
Jacob looked up from his draw rummaging to look at his sister, he was still in two minds.
"You can thank Evie when I get her back." He informed his sister blankly not looking her in the eye "she asked me personally to set aside our differences. At least for now."
"What's going on, Jacob?" Rachel asked
"She's being kept against her will" he lit a cigarette "I need your help to get her back. All of you. It's not without risk. I'm giving this bastard hell. He's behind the gemini killings and the campaign on the Barnes. Evie confirmed it."
"So shes dragging you into Barnes business again! And you're letting her! Putting her before your family! Putting your family in danger again for her! He openly threatened Danny's kids, your family, your blood and you are still putting her first!"

"Rach...." Danny warned "he didn't need to invite you here. You are not helping your case by continuing to speak of her like that."
"Are you telling me I am wrong, Danny?" Rachel asked in a raised voice
"She stepped in front of him! She squeezed my hand as a signal to not engage with him or I don't know, trying to communicate with me, but she did something or she at least tried to! Her hand was shaking with fear but she still tried."
"If he would think with his head and not his cock, your kids wouldn't be in danger in the first place. if it were not for that manipulative Barnes tart we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place!"

Jacob walked over to his sister, standing directly in front of her, telling his brothers to stay out of it with a single wordless authoritative finger in the air aimed at them to stand down.
"So Rach. You still have a low opinion of my girl it would seem." He blew smoke up into the air away from her face "hmmm interesting. Considering what I know." He pointed his fingers at her face, his cigarette still placed between them.
"And what do you know? I am not whoring around, Jacob! I told you that the other day. My Stanley works hard for his money, to provide for his family."
"That he does. He's a good man. It's why I let him keep his job and drink in my pub. It's not his fault his wife's a backstabbing bitch. He openly admits you were in the wrong and disapproves of your actions, he's more of a bloody Evans than you, he understands loyalty. That house you live in was paid for with Evans money, you might do well to remember that Rach, you'd still be living in the slums with your beloved saint Stanley if it weren't for me and the boys."

Jacob put his face into hers so she could feel his angry breath on her skin "you wanna know what I know? What my Evie risked her life to warn me about. Your name on a kill list. Your children's names on a kill list. Evie's personal plea to me was to protect you and your children despite what you did. Not only did they burn her ma and aunt alive because of you. They found her twin brother with information you leaked to them. She has lost everything yet she still risked her life to come and warn me. This is not her fault, any of it, it's yours. If you'd kept your nose out of my business and stayed away from my girl, we would not be having this discussion." He pressed his forehead on hers intimidatingly "Now look me in the eye Rach and tell me why I should help you and not leave you to your fate, because believe me we are dealing with an animal. It won't be a quick bullet he does it with. He'll have his fun with you first. He'll make you watch your wee ones suffer. Man, woman, child, he don't care. Her sister Caroline and her kids were found this morning, their bodies mutilated with the Gemini symbol, throats slashed, tongues cut out, eyes missing. He keeps the eyes as trophies, in a pickle jar! He won't think twice about harming you and your kids. You think your precious saint Stanley can protect you from a monster, Rach? Huh? answer me you bitch!" He grabbed her throat screaming at her with pure rage.

"Jacob!" Danny pulled him away "her names on a kill list?"
"As is little Betty's. That's me. That ones just for me. He knows that bitch is already dead to me, her names personal for him. Betty's my weak spot and he knows it. He was taunting me, sending me a message that he knows exactly how to torture me. He knows Betty is what will destroy me the most. That and...." he paused thinking, he fished his two photographs out that he couldn't stop looking at, staring at them one last time, rubbing his thumb lovingly over them "he has my child, Danny. Mine and Yvonne's child" he held out the photographs. "That's her twin brother, Marcus, the day before he was gunned down and beaten to death in front of her and my child. Marcus saved their lives, fought them off best he could, he didn't stand a chance, my girl had a gun barrel pressed to her head, they had my child in their arms, smothering her, they were both within seconds of death thanks to that back stabbing bitch. So if she wants to stay and wants our help, she falls in-line and you deal with her so I don't have to speak or look at her. I made my girl a promise, that is the only reason she's here. If she don't cooperate I'll take her kids from her and protect them myself, leave her to the wolves."
"She comes back out of the blue with a child and you automatically presume it's yours! She's taking you for a fool! Even if it is true, it means she's kept your child from you for over a year! If you had not got involved with her in the bloody first place I wouldn't have had to do what I did!"
"Rach." Danny looked at their sister sternly "last warning. He means it."

"Jacob? We have to ask it. You sure the kids yours?"
"No doubts, it's only been me that's gone there, Danny, and I believe her. She ain't no innocent but she has firm boundaries. Strong morals. Always has. She's still loyal to me."
"But the club...we saw him, Jacob, you can not be that love blind to not believe what you saw with your own eyes. I know you still love her but she...."
"What we saw was a facade. Just a very good one. Don't forget my girl lived a double life as a Barnes. She knows how to survive, how to play this game. Nothing we saw was real. I will explain everything and when I am done I am certain you will agree with me that she is telling the truth, even you Rach. She has never lied to me, not once. With held certain truths, I will give you that, like her first kill, her mother, all things that I would expect her to keep close to her chest until I'd proven my loyalty." He poured whiskey into glasses "you will all need a stiff drink, lord knows I do.....I have a daughter, Danny. A daughter Monty will never meet." He teared up, his brother rubbing the back of his head firmly "she wanted to come back to me when she found out she was up the duff, they stopped her, Danny. She was coming back to me and they stopped her. All this time I thought she didn't want to come home and she did. I should have gone looking for her, I shouldn't have let her go so easily."

"Did you meet her? Your daughter? The other night? Did she bring her?"
"No. He keeps her under close guard. It is why Evie will not leave him. Why she is playing along. Playing the long game. He knows exactly how to get her to do what he wants. She was running an errand for him. He keeps her child as insurance so she will do his bidding and return. My girl would never leave her daughter to save her own skin, never. My girls, Danny. He has my girls! Evie is petrified of him and she grew up with that twisted Barnes lot! She knows evil men and could handle them but him, she's terrified Danny and I had to let her walk away, back into the lions den and I couldn't do anything about it! she believes once he's done with her he's going to kill them or maybe just the baby. To leave me with nothing, to torment me. He brought them back to taunt me with them. I know real fear when I see it in my girls eyes, Danny. He beat her black and blue! For speaking up at the black swan, for trying to protect you. She is telling the truth. I need your help, you know I am a proud man who never asks for your help. You all look to me, well now I'm stood here asking you as a father to help me get my girls back and protect Betty."
"We're here. We will get them back. You can count on us. Have another drink then tell us everything. She's beautiful, Jake." Danny handed the photographs around.
"Maggie. Her names Maggie. She named her after Gran."