Black and White Truth (The Syndicate-Born Trilogy Book 2) Read online

  ***

  Jason heard Sally talking from the living room. He paused mid-typing but she appeared to have gone quiet again. His stomach had hurt him all day, but he still kept drinking—punishment for being stupid, for trusting Sally, for Marianna getting hurt, and for allowing himself to be a pawn in Scott’s dubious plot to take over the world. Okay, maybe the last part was an exaggeration.

  The pain in his stomach built to a sharp stabbing crescendo that left him feeling nauseous. He bolted to the kitchen and threw up the contents of his stomach into the sink for the second day in a row.

  Blood. I’m throwing up blood.

  “Oh Jesus.” Sally jumped up and crossed herself.

  “I’m fine.” Jason put his hand out to keep her away.

  She ignored him and handed him a kitchen towel.

  He wiped his mouth, leaving a garish red stain on the white towel. His stomach still spasmed as drops of blood trickled and sputtered from his mouth.

  Sally stood several feet away from him with a concerned look on her face.

  As angry as he was with her, and he was angry, he also wanted to reel her into his arms and never let go.

  “You aren’t fine and you know it,” she said in a hushed whisper.

  “No, maybe I’m not.” He leaned against the sink, unable to look at her.

  After a long awkward pause, she turned and went out to the porch where the guards stood watch.

  He could hear her laying into them about the urgency of the situation. He couldn’t help but smile at the thought of her standing up against the behemoth men who stood watch over them. The woman seemed to have no fear.

  Jason shuffled across the room to sit down, suddenly feeling faint. He noticed Katherine’s photobook on the table and picked it up. His fingers traced over a photo of he and Scott posed outside the cabin—an artifact from another lifetime.

  As consciousness began to slip from his grasp, he prayed that the photograph of him and Scott wouldn’t be the last thing he saw before he died.

  ***

  Unknown Building

  Unknown Location

  July 22, 2025

  8:00 AM

  ~~~

  Mari awoke to one of her captors repeatedly saying, “Sorry,” over and over again as he cleaned up her cuts and bruises. At last, she could open her eyes, but a blurry face looking down at her was her only reward. The damage to her right eye must be more significant than she’d realized.

  “Okay, let him in,” the man said.

  She swallowed hard and her whole body stiffened.

  Let who in?

  Before she could question her captor, the most excruciating pain assaulted her senses. It took her a minute to realize that the bloodcurdling scream she heard was her own. A different man now hovered over her, looking down at her with dead eyes, and what she saw behind the inky black wells terrified her.

  “Fix it,” the dead-eyed man said.

  Mari’s stomach twisted as the pain took on a new level of agony. The dead-eyed man rotated her uninjured arm in an unnatural twist, and she blacked out as he raised his hands over her head to smash her uninjured eye.

  ***

  Yellow Hat Cabin

  Millboro, Virginia

  July 22, 2025

  8:00 AM

  ~~~

  Sally sat in Jason’s writing chair while The Syndicate doctor looked over his unconscious body.

  “Is he going to be okay, Doc?” Henry, the older, senior-ranking guard asked.

  “I don’t really have any equipment so I can’t say for certain, but my guess is he’s developed a peptic ulcer. I have no way of telling if it has perforated though without doing an upper endoscopy. I’ll prescribe a proton pump inhibitor. If it gets worse, call me, and I’ll have to scope him.” The doctor picked up the empty bottle of scotch and tossed it in the garbage. “He can’t drink anymore. It’ll kill him. My guess is that you don’t want him dead, or you wouldn’t have called me out here.”

  “We need him alive, Doc. Thanks.” The guard ushered the doctor back out of the cabin.

  As they left the room, Jason slowly opened his eyes.

  “Hey,” Sally said.

  “Hey,” Jason said, his voice raspy and hoarse.

  “You had me worried for a minute. I thought you were a goner.”

  “I thought you weren’t afraid of anything,” he said with a smile.

  “No,” she said, her smile fading. “I’m always afraid.”

  His eyes met hers and the lines on his forehead doubled. “You don’t have to worry about me.” He adjusted the ratty blanket, pulling it up farther on his chest. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Good.”

  Henry walked back into the room, interrupting their private moment. “Good, you’re up. Doc wants you to take these.” He handed Jason some pills and a glass of water.

  Jason took the medication without question. “What’s wrong with me?”

  “Doc says you been drinkin’ too much. No more booze. The meds and painkillers will get you right again.” Henry adjusted his pants and checked the time.

  “Oh,” Jason said.

  “Boss says you get the day off, but starting first thing tomorrow, you better be writing, and sober.” Henry nodded over to the book that wasn’t going to write itself.

  “Yes sir,” Jason said with a mock salute.

  “Don’t be a wise ass.” Henry walked out of the room in a huff.

  “Am I wise ass?” Jason turned to Sally with a look of mock innocence.

  “Yes,” Sally said, making him laugh.

  He winced and grabbed his belly. “Ugh... don’t make me laugh. It hurts.”

  Sally pulled the chair up closer to the side of the bed and began to read to him from her poetry book. She hoped to distract him from the pain until the painkillers kicked in.

  It didn’t take long for them to take effect. His eyes dilated and then began to droop. A hint of a smile hung on his face—a welcome addition from the constant scowling of the last few days. He seemed to have forgotten to be angry with her. He simply smiled dopily as she read some of her favorite passages. A part of her knew that his anger would return once the drugs wore off, but for now it was just the two of them, with some two-hundred-year-old words to keep them company.

  ***

  Unknown Building

  Unknown Location

  July 22, 2025

  9:00 AM

  ~~~

  Doctor Young pulled up to the ramshackle building where an injured young woman was holding on by a thread. The Syndicate kept him busy, but this was getting ridiculous. In his forty years as a doctor, including his four years as an army medic, he’d seen some horrific stuff, but nothing could ever have prepared him for what he was about to see.

  The woman—he would have to take their word on that—was a lump of pulpy flesh and bones.

  How could anyone survive this?

  A part of him screamed to put her out of her misery, but he was under strict orders to do the unthinkable and keep her alive.

  “Alejandro, get in here. I’m going to need your help. I won’t be able to know the extent of her injuries until I get some of this mess cleaned up.”

  Alejandro walked in reluctantly. “Doc, I don’t—”

  “I’m not asking, Alejandro.”

  “Yes sir.”

  “Go get the usual supplies together and we’ll get to work.” As a doctor, there were days when he wished his parents had pushed for him to be an engineer or, hell, even a garbage man.

  When Alejandro was out of earshot, he addressed the lump of flesh in front of him. “You poor dear. What did they do to you?”

  He took the syringe from his pocket and once again considered doing the humane thing.

  Boss man will kill me if I let this girl die.

  As much as he felt for this poor soul, he wasn’t willing to put his own life on the line to end her suffering. For now, he gave her the recommended dosage of morphine and hoped it would be eno
ugh.

  ***

  Virginia Peninsula Region Correctional Facility

  Williamsburg, Virginia

  July 22, 2025

  Noon

  ~~~

  Charles sat in the chow room eavesdropping on a handful of inmates talking at the table behind him.

  “Nah man, it’s true. Some dude is after the new boss. Just you wait and see. It won’t be long.”

  “But who is it?”

  “Nobody knows, homes.”

  Charles smiled to himself. Maybe collaborating with Sally hadn’t been such a bad idea after all. He knew Jason would do the work justice. Charles simply had to sit and wait it all out.

  This waiting is the hard part. It wouldn’t be so bad if I wasn’t in here, though!

  He never in his wildest imagination thought that Scott would try to frame him for the murder of his father-in-law.

  Mr. Mitchel had never liked Charles and had done everything in his power to keep him away from his precious daughter, Katherine, but he had never wanted to kill the man.

  His son, Scott, though, was another matter. He was a psychopath who would do everything in his power to get and stay on top.

  If Charles could, he would kill him with his own two hands.

  Someday....

  Chapter 13

  Church Hill Neighborhood

  Richmond, Virginia

  July 22, 2025

  Noon

  ~~~

  “Manny, it’s so good to see you. I just wish it was under better circumstances.”

  “Me too, Ellie, me too.” Manny embraced her in the doorway of what used to be her home.

  He bussed her cheeks—an old-fashioned man with old-fashioned sensibilities—and walked inside, letting her close the door behind him. It had been a long time since he’d set foot in this home. It had gotten awkward after the divorce and he’d lost touch with Chris—something he regretted.

  He followed Ellie into the kitchen. “How’s Chris? Do you ever hear from him?”

  Ellie blushed and a shy smile crept up at the corners of her mouth. “Well, we sort of ran into each other recently and... I don’t know. We might get back together.”

  Manny sighed and his shoulders relaxed. At least someone had good news to tell. “That’s wonderful.”

  “Yes,” she said, pointing at the kitchen table, which was covered with papers. “Please have a seat. I made us some coffee. I have a feeling this is going to be a long day.”

  ***

  Yellow Hat Cabin

  Millboro, Virginia

  July 22, 2025

  Noon

  ~~~

  Sally stood on the porch smoking a cigarette. She normally hated smoking, but every once in a while her stress levels rose to a point where she would smoke a cigarette or two to help her cope. One of the guards, Henry, still smoked real cigarettes, and she’d bummed one. Each drag she took brought wave after wave of calm to her frayed nerves.

  “He’s gonna be all right,” Henry said.

  “I know.” She didn’t want to talk to Henry about any of this.

  “My gram has ulcers. Has for years.” He took a puff of his own cigarette and looked up at the night sky.

  “Mmm hmmm....” She wished he’d just shut-up.

  “I liked your Bill. He was a cool dude,” Henry said.

  Sally let out a bitter laugh in response.

  “How’s your boy doing?” he asked.

  The hair on the back of her neck stood on end.

  “He was a good kid,” he continued. “He used to cut my lawn when he was a wee lad.”

  Sally stood silently smoking. Her fear over The Syndicate finding her son paralyzed her.

  “He doesn’t ever need to know where your boy is. No one’s talking,” he said. “I want you to know that. We all got our orders, but no one’s turning over the lad. He’s one of us.”

  Like hell he is!

  She bit her lip and took in a deep breath of fresh air as the clouds rolled back in for another round of rain. She wondered if it was raining where Zane was right now. She turned to Henry—a good enough man—and took another puff before speaking. “Thank you, Henry. You and Rose were always so good to him.”

  “My Bobby still talks about how he was the only one to get out.” He put out his cigarette with the heel of his boot. “He was always such a smart boy.”

  “Yes, he surely didn’t get it from me,” Sally said.

  “Is it true then?” Henry leaned against the cabin with his arms folded over his barrel chest.

  “Thanks for the cig, Henry.” Sally put out her cigarette with her shoe, ignoring his question.

  “Any time, Sal.”

  A stiff wind blew past, making her shiver as she walked back inside to check on Jason. The door to the bedroom was ajar. She pushed it a little more open and peeked inside.

  “I’m still alive,” he mumbled. He rolled over with a hint of a smile on his face.

  “How’re you feeling?”

  “Ugh... I think the drugs are wearing off.”

  Deep lines etched across his forehead as he reached for her arm. “Lie with me.”

  He wouldn’t have to ask her twice. She crawled into bed beside him and pressed her cold flesh against his. When he sighed and pulled her closer to him, she, at last, relaxed.

  It didn’t take long for his breathing to even out, and he snored.

  She lay wide awake beside him, comforted by his sleeping sounds.

  Henry came in an hour later to wake him and give him a shot of who knew what.

  She closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.

  “Doc said to take it easy on the pain meds. They gonna trash your liver, which is probably already pretty shittered up,” Henry said to Jason.

  “I doubt Scott is going to keep me around long enough for the state of my liver to matter.”

  “You never know, man,” Henry said.

  Sally peeked in time to see Henry place a finger over his closed lips. He then pointed to his ear.

  They’re listening.

  This didn’t surprise her, but Henry’s actions did. Why did he want to warn Jason? She didn’t have the foggiest idea.

  Henry took his secrets with him out of the room, closing the door behind him.

  ***

  Jason pulled Sally’s slack body up against his. His nose brushed the skin of her neck and took in her honeyed scent. As long as he lived, he would never tire of her smell. He still didn’t trust her as far as he could throw her, but damn she felt good.

  A nagging question fought for his attention, but the fog of the medication clouded his thinking.

  Oh yes... why did Henry warn me about the place being bugged?

  The effects of the pain meds began to kick in and he couldn’t think about that or anything more complicated than closing his eyes. The intense pain disappeared, the beautiful woman lying beside him warm and inviting. He decided to go with the warm body and let the reality of all the cold dead ones rest for the moment. Even Superman had his fortress of solitude, he thought, as he drifted off to sleep.

  ***

  Church Hill Neighborhood

  Richmond, Virginia

  July 22, 2025

  2:00 PM

  ~~~

  Ellie put another cup of steaming hot coffee down in front of Manny.

  Her old friend sat hunched over a well noted and annotated digital map of Virginia. They circled an area north to Mt. Jackson and south to Buena Vista. Two hours of cross-referencing businesses and towns within the circle with known Syndicate ties, and they were no closer to finding any answers than when they first started.

  “We need Jason’s research. I’m sure he has all the information regarding current people and businesses. This old information isn’t getting us anywhere.” Manny fished out his phone, an antiquated model that shouldn’t still work. “I might have someone who can help us with that.”

  Ellie got up to order pizza and beers from the DD Pizza joint down the street. When she
ended her call she sat back down beside Manny. “Can your friend help us?”

  Manny racked his fingers through his thinning hair. “I sure hope so.”

  ***

  Yellow Hat Cabin

  Millboro, Virginia

  July 22, 2025

  2:00 PM

  ~~~

  When Jason woke up in bed—alone—the bed seemed so empty without Sally. The drizzling rain from before now pelted the tin roof, making a deafening noise. His head still throbbed but the stabbing pain in his stomach had finally subsided—small mercies.

  He stretched and caught a whiff of some fierce body odor. He needed to shower before his own smell caused him to pass out, so he threw his legs off the side of the bed and swung his long, lanky body upright. A wave of dizziness washed over him causing him to sway.

  Maybe being vertical was a bad idea.

  “Hey there, take it easy, buddy.” Henry rushed to his side and steadied him.

  “I might need a little help.” Jason’s knees started to buckle.

  “Doc gave you some pretty heavy medication to help with your ulcer and hasten the detox. He said you should take it easy.” Henry sighed and tightened his hold on Jason.

  Babysitting me isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

  “What did he give me?” God only knew how qualified the doctor was.

  “Don’t worry, it’s in his best interest to keep you alive.” Henry glanced over at the bed and started to guide him back that way.

  Jason knew he didn’t have any control over anything right now. He simply wanted to not smell like a sewer.

  Is that too much to ask?

  “I just want to take a bath,” he said. “Can you help me or not?”

  “I’ll have Sally do it,” he said under his breath. “I don’t get paid enough to be your nurse maid.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Sal, get your ass in here. Your boyfriend needs your help.” Henry helped him back into the bed.

  He didn’t like being referred to as Sally’s boyfriend, but for the moment that was neither here nor there.

  Sally sulked into the room. Dark circles lined her sunken eyes and her face now looked extra pale.

  His chest tightened at the sight of her in such a state. “Sally.” The word—her name—left his mouth before he could stop himself.