Biker Taken (The Lost Souls MC Series Book 6) (13 page)

I watch her leave the table and pack her purse into her bag as if it is a normal day with household chores to do. 

“Are you okay, darlin’?” 

“Of course I am, you’re the one in bandages and you say you’re fine, so we’re both fine,” grabbing her keys she barely looks my way on her way out.  

She’s nothing but fine.  

Chapter Twenty-Two

Shellie 

Thank God the roads aren’t busy. I’m trying to concentrate on my surroundings but every part of my body is numb. 

Rain drops hit the window screen and the sky opens up and the storm that’s been brewing since yesterday erupts.  

The sound of the rain soothes the pain in my head that’s forming and when I pull into the parking lot at the store, I sit there watching the rain drops drizzle down the window. It brings a peace I haven’t felt in a long while.  

For months, years actually, he’s begged me not to worry about him and then what happens, he gets fucking shot.  

Everything I’ve been worrying about has happened and now it has happened, I don’t have any energy left to go crazy. He got shot at and he could’ve died, he’s lucky the bullet only skimmed the skin. They all live too much on the edge and risk their lives daily, and for what, to make money and do as they please? They’re all going to end up dead.  

Slamming my fist onto the steering wheel, it does nothing to squash the frustration. The man I love was wounded and he didn’t try to call me and let me know.  

Throwing open my door, I don’t care it is pouring with rain, I walk as normal into the store and let the rain soak me through. 

I forget a cart and grab a basket as I walk from aisle to aisle. We need everything and I have no desire to get anything. I begin throwing in items and by the time I get to the checkout, there is a queue thanks to the customer at the front being friends with the checkout girl. She’s spending more time giggling than she is working and it’s the last thing I need.  

“He’s taking me out for dinner tonight, so it’s only the two of us before all his family arrive and everything is non-stop,” the girl says to the checkout girl. 

“He is so sweet, and totally loves you.” 

“I know, I’m so lucky, I can’t wait till Saturday when I become Mrs Henderson.” 

I tune out their conversation and squeeze the tears away. This girl at the front of the line has to be a good five years younger than me and even though I’ve been with John for six years, I’m nowhere near becoming Mrs Johnson. “Look, some of us actually have places we need to be, can you hurry this up please?” I blurt out and immediately feel a hundred years old for moaning.  

More giggling continues but my outburst works and they hurry it along. The checkout girl ignores me as she rings my groceries up and I’m back in the car before I itch to slap her.  

****

He’s waiting on the porch for me when I drive up and he walks over to help me with the groceries. 

“Should you be holding this much in the state you’re in?”  

I can’t help the sarcasm, I can no longer cry so the bitch in me is coming out instead.  

“A couple of bags is no trouble,” he mumbles.  

He ends up taking all five bags and leads the way into the house.  

“Sit down, I’ll unpack this lot.” 

The shock hits me hard but I sit down and let him rock on. He’s never unpacked the shopping before and I don’t think I’ll see it again from him.  

“You were longer than usual at the store. I was beginning to think you might not be comin’ home.” 

“There was a girl gushing over her upcoming wedding with the checkout girl, they thought no one else needed serving,” I shrug.  

“Christ, everyone’s getting’ married. Did I tell you Michael and Kitty are engaged now?” 

“Really?”  

“Yeah, found out when we got back this morning.” 

“Will you ever ask me to be your wife?” I blurt out, unable to stop myself. 

“Are you lookin’ for a ring now?” he asks. 

“Does it really matter what I’m looking for? I’m just asking a question, don’t worry about it, forget I said anything.” 

He puts down the last bag and surprises me by not shutting the conversation of marriage down and kneels in front me, taking hold of my hands. 

“I personally don’t see the point in marriage, I don’t need a ring or a bit of paper to show I love you and I’m loyal to you. I don’t need everyone around us to witness us say a few words and declare our love. I’ve loved you from the beginning and nothing is changing that.” 

“Getting married isn’t all about proving our relationship to other people, it’s about making that final connection to one another. I would like to have that with you.” 

By now I normally would’ve let the conversation go, but I can’t do that now.  

“I don’t think we’re going to agree, ever, are we?”  

“It’s one thing we don’t agree on, darlin’, everything else is good between us. You’re my old lady, you’re my fuckin’ world and nothing will ever change that.” 

When he says things like this it’s difficult to remain strong to what I want.  

For the rest of the day, he stays at the house with me and we do normal things like a couple should. He fixes the creaky door while I clean the bathroom and when dinner time rolls around, we both cook together.  

When life is good, it’s perfect.  

Chapter Twenty-Three
  

Oak 

Life is fucking good. I’ve got my woman with a huge smile on her face, relaxing on the stool pulled up next to mine and spirits are at a high.  

I see now that Shellie needs me home more and needs my time, she doesn’t ask for much apart from that and she deserves to have it.  

“How’s the wound?” Mark asks, coming up and joining us.  

“It’s healing nicely, told you it was nothin’ but a scratch.” 

“Who the hell has he brought here now?” Mark frowns, looking over my shoulder.  

Shell and I both turn and see Michael with Pope and a woman I’ve never seen before. She’s not a bad looker and looks like she would rather be in hell than be here.  

“Is it me or does she look like she doesn’t want to be here?” Shellie points out.  

“Yes, it does, I’ll be back in a minute.” 

He cuts across the bar and plants himself beside his brother, whispers in his ear and backtracks into the backroom. Michael shortly follows after him and shuts the door behind him.  

“Who do you think she is?” Shellie asks, turning back around.  

“With Michael, she could be anyone. I just hope trouble doesn’t follow.” 

“Well it is Michael so be ready for anything,” she sighs. 

Even my woman knows how much a loose cannon Michael can be.  

“Anyway, it’s good to see you smilin’ tonight, darlin’. It’s been too long since I’ve seen you this happy,” I say, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her against me.  

“Yeah, but it’s getting late, I’m going to head home. Are you coming too?”  

“You take the car and I’ll follow shortly, I want to speak to Mark before I leave, make sure everything’s all good.” 

The shine in her eyes dull and I know she doesn’t believe me.  

“I promise, after the day we’ve had it deserves to go out with a bang,” I smirk, “we’d have to drive back separately anyway.” 

Tipping her chin up, I press my lips to hers and sweep my tongue across her top lip.  

“We’ll get the good times back. I know we will.” 

“I hope so. I miss them as much I miss you.” 

Her words cut into me with precise incisions and I know I have to make it right with her.  

“Things are gonna change for us, I swear it to you now,” I vow to her. 

“I love you, John, but I’ll believe it when I see it,” she half smiles.  

She slides out of my arms and off her stool. Grabbing her bag, she places a quick kiss on my cheek and goes to say something, but I stop her from talking when I pull her back against me and claim her mouth again.  

She tastes like beer and hunger, sweetness and light all in one. Pulling away, she breathlessly smiles brightly.  

“Don’t be long,” she warns, before leaving.  

“I won’t,” I promise under my breath, but she doesn’t hear me over the music.  

I watch her until she slips past the brothers by the door and I’m happy when I see them graciously move out of her path to let her through.  

I’m shortly joined by Mark and he’s pissed. I signal to the prospect for two beers and when the kid brings them over, Mark drains the bottle in one sitting.  

“What the hell has he done now?” I ask, knowing it has to be bad to gain a reaction like that from Mark.  

He leans in and keeps his voice low.  

“He’s only gone and taken out a Raging cunt tonight and that woman over there saw the whole fucking thing.” 

“Are you fuckin’ jokin’?”  

His eyes become hard as he stares at me and I inhale deeply trying to get my head around this new piece of information.  

“Him and Pope rode out to one of the bars they all hang out at and waited in the shadows for one of them to come out, as usual I don’t think he had a plan, he just winged it and took out whoever came out first.” 

“Fuckin’ hell, brother. He’s getting’ reckless again.” 

Michael’s always been hot headed and quick tempered but over the last few years he has been keeping it reigned in. Mark making him his VP was the best decision for the two of them. Michael takes his patch seriously and like Mark hoped for, it does make him think things through, until now it seems.  

“What’s happenin’ with the woman?”  

“He said he’ll sort it with her, fuck knows what he plans to do with her but I guess we’ll find out, he’s coming over.” 

We go quiet and it isn’t long before Michael’s voice fills our space.  

“She’s sorted. She isn’t going to be a problem.” 

He doesn’t stop and carries on until he disappears up the stairs to his room he stays in now after moving out of the main house a while ago.  

“That’s all I get?”  

“Looks like it, but if he said she’s sorted than she must be, I don’t think Michael would put us at risk.” 

I try to soothe my brother but my words aren’t working. Signalling for more drinks, I help him in another way. Drinking to forget for a few hours. He can interrogate him in the morning when Michael has had time to sleep off taking a man’s life.  

****

Something cold but soft whacks me on the head repeatedly and I spring out of bed, blurry eyed and looking for the attacker. It turns out, it’s a pillow in Shellie’s hands and she is furious. 

It takes a second through the throbbing in my head and the brightness of the room to figure out what’s got her pissed at me this time.  

I’m in my old room at the main house, I broke my promise and didn’t follow her home last night.  

Shit. 

Fuck. 

“You fucking asshole,” she screams, throwing the pillow at me.  

It lands at my feet and she reaches for another on the bed, “You promised me, you fucking promised you’d come home. You ruined the whole day we had and fucked everything.” 

Holding my hands up in surrender, it fuels her anger and she rushes towards me and pushes against my chest. There’s nothing to her but with how fragile I’m feeling. It feels like a giant is trying to fight me.  

Wrapping my arms around her, I drop down on the bed taking with her me and she starts to cry.  

“Deep down, I knew you wouldn’t come home but I still had hope.” 

“Please don’t cry, darlin’, I’ve been a cunt and I own it.” 

I had every intention of going home, I honestly don’t have a clue what happened. I was drinking with Mark one minute, then being woke up by being hit with pillow the next minute.  

“I’m not happy with you, John. I’m sick of this, I wake up each morning not knowing if you’re going to be there.” 

I can’t have this conversation again, I fucked up, like I’m fucking up all the time.  

“You know I love you…” 

“And I know you love the club, but the question is, when will you put me before the club? I deserve to have your time.” 

“I get carried away, you know I love you and I would do anything for you. I can’t live without you, darlin’, but I can’t keep doin’ this with you, it’s like we’re goin’ round in circles.” 

“You can’t live without me?” she snorts, “it feels like I live without you all the time. You pay for the house, you pay the bills, you pay for furniture but you’re never there to use it.” 

“I do it all for you, to make you happy.” 

She goes quiet and a crack starts to break my heart for her. Holding her close to me, it does nothing to mend the crack.  

“I’m doin’ my best and I know it’s not enough, but please, I’m not doin’ it on purpose.” 

I’m man enough to admit I’m in the wrong.  

“It’s the only reason I’m still with you.” 

“I won’t ever let you go, darlin’. It’s not in me to let that happen.” 

It’s not a threat to her, she knows it’s a promise.