Retribution (The Lone Riders MC Series Book 2) (19 page)

‘You need to do it soon,’ she said, walking over to the door. ‘Before anything else kicks off between Ben and Kip. He’s got feelings for her, Dad, and they need to be quashed, before something really wrong happens.’

Coby threw Charlie a sympathetic look as he followed Lexi to the door. ‘She’s right, brother. That son of yours, he’s serious about that girl. And we all know that can’t happen.’

‘It’s time to face the truth, Dad.’ Lexi’s voice was softer now, kind, almost, and Charlie couldn’t help but give her a small smile.

‘Yeah. I know it is, baby. I know it is.’

Twenty-Three

‘It’s all in hand, Lennie. Not long to go now, I promise you.’

‘You better fucking mean that, brother, because I am done with this place. I just want my wife and I want out of here.’

‘Yeah, yeah, I get that, okay? I get it. But I told you. It’s all coming together.’

‘You got something concrete now? You actually got a plan?’

‘Hey, I never had anything else. I just had to work out the finer details. I always knew what had to be done. And what we’re gonna do is kill you.’

The silence didn’t surprise Shane. He’d expected it. ‘Are you fucking kidding me?’

‘At least, we’re gonna make it
look
like you’re dead.’

‘And you’re the expert on faking death, huh?’ Lennie deadpanned.

‘Yeah. I am. So trust me, okay? What I’ve got planned will end this lockdown, and we can finally get moving. I just got one more thing to do then we’re on, brother. I’ll call you later.’

Shane hung up and looked over towards the entrance to the compound, where Bear and Coby were manually hauling open the huge metal gates that were, at the minute, permanently closed to anyone except club members, their families, and those Coby and Charlie chose to let over the threshold. He watched as Kip, Luca and Cain rode into the yard, Bear and Coby immediately closing the gates behind them.

Pulling his cap down further over his eyes he leaned back against the wall and lit up a cigarette. He couldn’t hear what Coby or Bear were asking the others, but he could tell by their body language and shakes of the head that nothing positive had come from that afternoon’s hunt for Lennie. Shane still couldn’t believe he’d managed to keep Lennie hidden from them for this long, but his managing to persuade Coby to let him check out the area around the MC’s cabin alone had helped. It meant he’d been able to cross that section of
Paradise
off their list as a potential hideout. Although, the risk that someone would double check, just to be safe, still was and always had been a possibility. The level of trust could wane quite easily at times like this. Which was why he knew he had to move things along now.

‘I’m taking it no one had much luck today, then? Trying to find Lennie, I mean,’ Shane said, throwing his half-smoked cigarette down on to the ground as Bear approached the clubhouse entrance.

The burly Englishman narrowed his eyes as he looked at Shane. ‘No. Still nothing. But if he’s out there, we’ll find him.’

‘Been well over a fortnight since he paid Mia that visit, though. He could be anywhere by now.’

‘If it’s Mia he wants – and that’s what he told her – he’ll still be here. He’s just keeping himself well hidden.’

Shane looked right into Bear’s eyes, waiting a beat or two before he spoke again. ‘What if I told you I know exactly where he is?’

Bear’s eyes narrowed even further as he moved closer to Shane. ‘What the hell are you talking about?’

‘I know where he is.’

‘Then you better go tell someone, brother.’

‘No. No, I ain’t gonna do that.’

Bear reached out to grab Shane’s cut but he swiftly knocked the bigger man’s hand away. ‘If you’re pissing me about, Shane…’

‘I ain’t pissing no one about, Bear. I’m deadly serious.’

‘Then fucking tell me where that bastard is…’

‘Remember that night back in
England
?’

Bear frowned, his expression turning to one of confusion. ‘
What
night?’

‘Not long after me and Lexi were exiled from this town to yours… There was some kind of party, at a clubhouse belonging to an MC the Lone Riders are pretty tight with. A party where Lexi got wasted, danced on tables, gave every brother in there an eyeful of everything wet dreams are made of, man, she was in no mood to behave those first few weeks…’ His eyes locked with Bear’s, but the confusion was still evident on Bear’s face. ‘Okay. Let me jog that memory of yours a little more, huh? That same night there was a – a disagreement, shall we say – over some shit or other, I can’t even remember what now. Had other things on my mind and all. But I remember another, totally unconnected fight happening away from everything else. Outside, in the yard. I remember hearing shouting, ‘cause I was standing by the door. Guess I needed some fresh air after witnessing what our Queen of the compound can do after a few beers and a couple of lines.’

A glimmer of recognition started to appear on Bear’s face. A hint that he was starting to realize just what Shane was talking about.

‘Oh, you startin’ to remember now, brother? How a fight that started over nothing, at least, that’s what everyone believed… How that fight ended up with a man dying because you’d refused to listen to him. He was apologizing to you, am I right? He’d inadvertently approached a girl you’d had your eye on for months, so I was told. Even though you’d just got yourself hitched. And this girl, she knew that, which was why she didn’t want anything to do with you. That shoulda sent a message, don’t you think? That you were flogging a dead horse, but no, brother, you ain’t that intelligent.’

‘What the
fuck
are you…?’

‘She wanted
him
, didn’t she? Not you. She wanted him, and that poor guy didn’t even know… Oh, she had it bad for that brother. But your way of thinking was if
you
couldn’t have her, then nobody else was gonna. And one swift nick of an artery later and he was bleeding to death on the sidewalk. Suicide, they said. You knew he had problems that ran way deeper than anyone else was aware of, and you made it look like that unfortunate son-of-a-bitch had been too desperate to face up to them. And you did all of that for no reason other than the girl you wanted wanted
him
. You covered your tracks well, I’ll give you that, but that other MC – what would they do if they knew the truth, huh? If they knew you’d killed one of their men? What would happen then?’

‘You fucking bastard…’

‘Hey! Come on! All’s fair, brother. I got something on you, which means you kinda owe me now.’

‘I owe you nothing,’ Bear hissed, moving a step closer to Shane.

‘Oh, I think you do. Unless you want me to make one phone call that could start a whole new war back on your home turf. You think Charlie wants that? You think he
needs
more shit?’

‘I never did fucking trust you…’

Shane laughed, lighting up another cigarette and offering it to Bear, who immediately swiped it straight out of his hand. Shane looked down as it hit the ground, still smouldering. ‘Well, that wasn’t very friendly now, was it?’

‘What’s going on here, Shane?’

Shane looked back up at Bear. ‘You’re gonna do something for me.’

‘Am I?’

‘If you want to avoid a world of crap when you get back home, yes. You are. If you want to stay alive.’

Bear said nothing, his eyes fixed on Shane.

‘You’re gonna go back out there, right now, alone, on another sweep of this town. And then you’re gonna come back here, and you’re gonna tell Charlie and Coby that Lennie has been dealt with.’

‘Dealt with?’ Bear questioned, the frown reappearing.

‘You’re gonna tell them he’s dead.’

‘Jesus, Shane…’

‘One phone call, Bear. That’s all it’s gonna take for that world of crap to kick off.’

Bear sighed, pushing both hands back through his hair. ‘You want me to kill him?’

‘I want you to make it
look
like you’ve killed him. But I don’t want him dead. I’m doing him a favor, he’s repaying me by helping me out with something. So I need him alive. For the time being.’

‘And what about Mia, huh? You’re okay with the fact that by leaving him alive she’s still in danger?’

Shane shrugged, digging his hands into his pockets. ‘I ain’t happy about that, no. But sometimes shit has to happen in order for more to be got rid of.’

‘You’re just gonna let him take her?’

‘Like I said, I ain’t happy about that, but… Innocent pawns can get hurt, that’s the risk we take.’

‘I don’t understand any of this, Shane.’

‘You don’t need to understand it. You just need to do as I say. And know what the consequences will be if you don’t.’

Bear sighed again, one full of resignation. He was cornered. No way out, not as far as he could see. ‘They’re gonna want proof that he’s gone. They’re not just gonna take my word for it.’

‘There’ll be proof. But I need this lockdown lifted, and I need that to happen fast.’

‘And Lennie knows the score?’

‘He knows something’s about to happen.’ Shane pulled a piece of paper from his back pocket and handed it to Bear. ‘This is where he’s hiding. My uncle’s old hunting shack up in the hills. I’m gonna call him as soon as you’ve left, let him know what he needs to do.’

‘Why can’t you just come with me? Make sure it all goes to plan yourself? In fact, why can’t
you
just do all this? Why do you need me?’

‘Because I need everyone here to trust me, Bear; to keep on thinking I’m still that good, kind-natured southern boy who’d do anything for anyone. I can’t risk even one hint of doubt creeping in. And I especially need Coby to think I’m still the trusted V.P. he thinks I am.’

Bear’s frown deepened further. ‘What the hell is this about, Shane? Why are you faking Lennie’s death, putting Mia in danger…?’

‘I want Coby Walker dead.’

Bear stared at him, unable to stop a surprised laugh from escaping. ‘Why the fuck would you want Coby dead? After everything he…?’

‘He has something I want, that’s why. And he needs to pay back that rather large debt he owes me.’

‘Hang on… You want Coby dead because of Lexi?’

‘It’s time you were somewhere else,’ Shane said, completely ignoring Bear. ‘And if I hear of you telling anyone about this – about where Lennie is, or anything I’ve just told you, you ain’t gonna want to know the shit that’ll kick off, believe me, brother.’

‘You’re fucking crazy. You’re insane. If this gets out…’

‘But it won’t, will it? Call my bluff by all means, but what happens if you do… I can’t promise that’ll be pretty.’

Bear slid the piece of paper Shane had given him into the top pocket of his cut. ‘Why can’t I just kill the bastard for real?’

‘I told you, I need him alive. At least until he’s fulfilled his side of the bargain.’

‘You’re fucking twisted, man.’

‘It’s the world we live in, brother. Call me as soon as you get there.’

Shane kept his eyes on Bear as he walked back towards his bike, waiting until he’d left the compound before letting out the longest sigh of relief. Could he trust Bear? He couldn’t really trust anyone right now, but he was the only one Shane had anything on – anything big enough to carry the kind of leverage he needed, anyway. So all he could do was sit tight, and hope this part of the plan came off. Because, if it didn’t, he had no second option.

Twenty-Four

‘You’re lying.’ Kip’s voice was, somehow, managing to stay calm, despite what Charlie had just told him. ‘You’re fucking lying.’

‘Jesus, Kip, why would I lie about something like this? She’s your sister, okay? Why the hell do you think people have been trying to keep you away from her? Stop you from doing something stupid? Something illegal.’

‘Yeah, ‘cause that kind of shit never goes on around here, does it?’

‘Watch your mouth, son.’

Kip stared at his father before dropping his head into his hands. ‘I don’t believe this… Did Lexi know?’ He looked up. ‘ Before me, I mean.’

‘Coby told her,’ Charlie sighed, sitting down next to Kip. ‘I’d asked him not to, but, well… I guess he thought it best to let her know. If only to stop
you
from doing something – something you really shouldn’t.’

‘And Mum?’

It was Charlie’s turn to bow his head. ‘She’s not happy. But it was a long time ago. So much crap’s happened since then…’

‘That’s not an excuse, Dad… come on! We’re talking about Mia here. Jesus! I grew up with her. And then… then she turns up here, looking hot as hell and I…
Shit
! I was falling in love with her. I was actually falling in love. For the first time in my sorry fucking life.’

‘That can’t happen, Kip. You’ve got to get your head around this and leave her alone. When she finds out, things are gonna be tough enough without any more confusion. So you need to sort that out, forget anything else you might have felt for her, and start thinking of her as your sister.’

Kip stared out ahead of him. ‘All the crap you gave Mum when you found out about her and
Tay
, and yet, you’d cheated on her long before any of that happened.’

‘I know,’ Charlie sighed again, well aware of everything Kip was telling him. Everything Lexi had already told him. He knew he’d handled it badly, but nobody was powerful enough to turn the clock back. All they could do was deal with the truth, and handle the fallout as best they could.

‘My sister,’ Kip whispered, followed by an icy, humorless laugh. ‘I finally find a woman I can actually imagine spending the rest of my life with, and she’s my frigging sister!’

‘She wasn’t yours, Kip,’ Charlie pointed out. ‘She’s with Ben, they’re together…’

‘Yeah, well, I doubt that’ll last. And I would’ve been there for her, you know? When it all falls apart.’

Charlie eyed his son warily. ‘You can still be there for her. Just not in the way you first imagined you would be.’

Kip stood up, walking behind the bar to grab a beer. ‘How much do you know about Ben Salter?’

Charlie joined Kip at the bar, accepting the beer he held out to him. ‘Enough.’

‘You know what he used to be?’

Charlie narrowed his eyes as he looked at his son. ‘I know he’s more than used to the world we inhabit.’

‘Yeah.’ Kip took a long swig of beer. ‘He’s more than used to it.’ He looked over towards Mia, who was by the entrance to the clubhouse, talking to Luca, laughing at something he was saying, and Kip felt an unexpected wave of pain tear across his chest. She looked like she didn’t have a care in the world, but her world was about to be turned upside down. ‘You gonna tell her the truth now?’ He turned back to face his father. ‘Tonight?’

Charlie shook his head. ‘No. Not tonight.’

‘Jesus, Dad…’

‘There’s been enough truth dealt out for one day, Kip. Let’s all just sleep on it, get used to it ourselves before we tell Mia.’

‘And Mum knows to keep her mouth shut, does she?’

‘Angie knows exactly what’s expected of her.’

Kip leaned over the counter. ‘How much more crap are we expected to take, Dad? I mean, Coby was actually starting to get this place under control and then… then all this kicks off and it’s secrets and lies and more fucking surprises…’

‘I know. I know, son, but this is the end of it, I promise you. No more skeletons, no more secrets.’

Kip just raised an eyebrow as he took another drink of beer.

‘Charlie!’

Both men turned to see Bear come running into the clubhouse, looking more than a little dishevelled.

‘I need a word,’ Bear said, looking from Charlie to Kip. ‘In private.’

‘Something happened?’ Kip asked, draining his beer, throwing the empty bottle in the trash and immediately opening a fresh one.

‘In here.’ Charlie ignored Kip, leading Bear into the chapel and closing the door behind them. ‘What’s up?’

Bear reached into the top pocket of his cut and pulled out his phone, handing it to Charlie.

‘What the…?’ Charlie stared at the picture on the screen, taking a few seconds to let the image sink in before he looked back at Bear. ‘Did you
find
him like this?’

‘He’s not a problem any more, boss. That’s all that matters.’

‘Did you
find
him like this, Bear?’

‘I did what I had to do, Charlie.’

Charlie looked back down at the photograph. ‘What did you do with him?’

‘Nothing but compost now, boss.’

‘You sure?’ Charlie asked, handing him back the phone. ‘Because if anything comes back to bite us in the arse…’

‘I know how to deal with this kind of thing, Charlie. Nothing’s gonna blow back on us.’

‘Yeah,’ Charlie sighed, leaning back against the sideboard. ‘Yeah, I know. I can trust you.’

‘We gonna tell Mia?’

‘I’ll do it,’ Charlie said, patting Bear on the shoulder. ‘Then we’ll think about lifting this lockdown. Everyone’s been cooped up here on top of each other for long enough, I reckon.’ He started walking towards the door, but stopped and turned around before opening it, his eyes slightly narrowed as he looked at Bear. ‘How did you find him?’

‘I was asking around, in one of the bars on the main street, trying to find out if anyone had seen him, and a couple of guys told me they’d overheard him talking in that strip club just outside of town, telling someone he’d found a little place up in the hills…’

‘The hills? Anywhere close to the MC’s cabin, by any chance?’

Bear shrugged, folding his arms and leaning back against the huge wooden table that took up most of the space in the chapel. ‘I’m not that familiar with where the cabin is, boss. I just had a ride up into the hills, to see if I could see anything… And I found him, just sitting there, taking in the view, smoking a cigarette like he didn’t have a care in the fucking world.’

Charlie held Bear’s gaze for a few seconds more, before finally breaking the stare. ‘Okay. Well, maybe you should have called us…’

‘You think I had time for that?’

Charlie sighed, pushing a hand through his hair. ‘Yeah. You’re right. All that matters is that he’s gone. And Mia can finally start to get on with her new life. Although, to be honest, if Lennie’s gone, she could come home. If that’s what she wants.’

Bear’s expression carried a fleeting hint of panic that he quickly pushed aside, dropping his eyes to the floor to allow him a second to compose himself. ‘You think she’ll want that?’

It was Charlie’s turn to shrug. ‘Who knows? Guess it all depends on how things are going with Ben. She’s just got options now, hasn’t she?’

Bear watched Charlie walk out of the chapel, leaving the door slightly ajar behind him. Charlie thought Mia had options. But Bear knew how limited those options could turn out to be.

***

Mia looked up as Ben approached the couch, his hands in his pockets, an expression verging on apologetic covering his face.

‘You okay?’ he asked, a touch nervously, Mia thought.

‘I’d be better if you hadn’t been acting like an idiot for most of the day. In fact, you’ve been acting weird for most of this lockdown. You don’t even have to
be
here, Ben…’

‘I stayed for you. Because I care about you.’

‘Do you? Really? Because, all I’ve been seeing is you in huddled conversations with some of the other guys, fighting or throwing your weight about, and I just don’t get how you go from mild-mannered lawyer to first-rate dickhead in a matter of days.’

He sat down beside her, dropping his head, pushing both hands through his hair.

‘And all this shit with Kip, Ben. What the hell is
that
all about, huh? I don’t
want
Kip in that way, okay? And I don’t believe I ever sent out messages that said I did. I Just needed someone to turn to, someone who wasn’t involved with you and me and… I just needed to step back. I needed a friend. Do you understand?’

‘No,’ he sighed, pushing his hands through his hair again. ‘I don’t think I do.’

She looked away from him, clasping her hands tightly together. ‘I think I’m falling in love with you, Ben.’

Still she kept her eyes off him as she said those words. Words she meant, with all of her heart she meant them, but she couldn’t look at him. What if he didn’t feel the same way? Nothing was ever simple in this world she lived in. And Ben, he wasn’t really a part of her world. Loving her might mean he had to be, and if he didn’t want that…

‘Mia, baby, I…’

‘It’s okay,’ she said, standing up and walking away, but he was up and after her within seconds, grabbing her arm and swinging her around to face him. Mia looked down at his hand circling her wrist, and he immediately let go.

‘I’m sorry, I…’

‘I shouldn’t have dropped that on you like that, Ben. It’s me who should be sorry. I mean, bringing out the “L” word when we hardly even know each other…’

‘We don’t know each other at all, Mia.’ His voice was quiet, his eyes fixed on hers.

She looked back at him, her expression slightly confused.

‘I’m not who you think I am,’ he whispered, wondering just how much he should really tell her. How much she needed to know.

‘Ben, I… I don’t understand.’

He moved a little closer, testing the water to see her reaction, but there was no sign she wanted him to back off. ‘I’m not really that mild-mannered lawyer you first thought I was.’

Her frown deepened, the confusion rising.

‘I mean, yes, I
am
the club’s lawyer, but I… When I told you I used to be a biker…’ He dropped his head again, running his hand along the back of his neck. ‘I used to be part of an MC. One not far from here.’

Mia cocked her head, her eyes locking with his as he looked back up at her, the confusion on her face evident.

‘I was trying to leave it all behind, trying to walk away…’

‘From what?’

He looked down again, finding it harder to look at her. It never was easy to tell someone you cared about that you’d been keeping secrets. ‘I was a member of the Dark Angels, Mia.’

Mia felt her stomach sink, her breath catching in her throat. This may have been her first time in
California
, but she still knew only too well who the Dark Angles were. The reputation they had. ‘The… the Dark Angels they’re… they’re one of the most notorious MCs in the state of
California
… One percenters…’

Ben finally looked up, his eyes locking with hers. ‘My father was – still is – a part of that club. I grew up within its confines, so, I guess we have more in common than we first thought, huh?’

She stared at him, trying to let what he’d just told her sink in. ‘The Dark Angels, they’ve done things – condoned things that…’ She broke off, backing away from him but he reached out to her, his expression almost pleading with her to hear him out. ‘Does everyone here…? Do they
know
what you were?’

‘Some of them do, yes. The Lone Riders and the Dark Angels, they’ve had plenty of run-ins over the years…’

Mia felt her stomach turn over again. All of a sudden, small things she hadn’t thought all that much about before, they were starting to make sense now. ‘That tattoo, the one on your back…’

‘It’s a club tattoo,’ Ben said, his voice quiet, but there was a kind of relief evident there, too. Like he was almost glad to be finally getting this out in the open. ‘It’s why I tried to keep my back hidden from you as much as I could, to stop you from seeing it in case… in case you recognized it.’

‘Were you
ever
gonna tell me?’

‘Of course I was. Baby, please…’

‘Why did you leave?’ Her eyes widened as more pieces started to slowly fall into place. ‘The accident… Was that…?’

‘I wanted out, Mia. That’s all. How that happened, it doesn’t matter any more.’

‘Doesn’t it?’

‘Those days are behind me, baby, I mean that.’

‘So if… if they all know…’

‘Not everyone knows who I used to be. Charlie doesn’t. I mean, he knows who the Dark Angels are, obviously, because our clubs have clashed before, but he doesn’t know I…’

‘Our clubs… They way you said that…’

‘No, Mia, listen to me…’

‘But Coby knows, right?’

Ben nodded. ‘Luca, Kip, Kel… they all know. And so do Jesse and Shane, but apart from that, I’m not sure anyone else has made the connection.’