Retribution (The Lone Riders MC Series Book 2) (4 page)

Five

‘Another.’ Mia pushed the empty glass towards Shane, her eyes locking with his. Shane raised an eyebrow, pouring a shot of bourbon into the tumbler. Mia widened her eyes, her mouth tightening as she took the drink from him. ‘You got a problem, Shane?’

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the bar, his eyes still fixed on hers. ‘I ain’t got no problem, darlin’.’

She knocked the drink back in one mouthful, slamming the glass down on to the counter. ‘Then you know what to do, don’t you?’

He laughed, a short, low laugh, taking her glass and pouring another shot into it, sliding it back towards her. ‘You knock yourself out there, honey.’

She narrowed her eyes, refusing to break the stare. She didn’t even know why she was being so cold towards this man because Shane Randell had done nothing but be kind to her since the day he’d arrived in
Newcastle
all those years ago. And nothing had changed now they were both here in
Paradise
. ‘Tell me, Shane, ‘cause I’m really interested. After everything this chapter put you through, why would you want to come back here?’

Shane smiled, the kind of smile that lit up his quirkily handsome face. He was one of the few Lone Riders who didn’t have a beard of some description, and with his close-cropped hair and southern drawl he stood out from the rest of the brothers in almost every way. And she liked that about him – the fact he was slightly different. And kind. Such a kind man. After what he’d done for Lexi and Coby, there was no other word to describe him, really. In her eyes. Others had called him stupid. Naïve. Out-of-his-depth, even, but somehow Shane Randell had managed to turn it around, and get his life back on track. Was it really that easy to do?

‘I have nowhere else to go, darlin’.’ He poured himself a shot of bourbon, swallowing it down in one. ‘It’s as simple as that.’

Mia pushed both hands through her hair, feeling her head begin to spin slightly. But that’s what you got for drinking shots too quickly before the sun was even high in the sky. ‘You think I can get
my
life back, Shane? Start over? Just like you did?’ Her voice had softened now, her demeanour relaxing. After all, none of this was Shane’s fault.

‘I think you can do anything you set your mind to, sweetheart.’

She smiled at him, watching as he tidied up the bar area, drying glasses and setting up bottles as though this was just some ordinary hang-out, rather than the kind of place where all kinds of shit could kick off at a moment’s notice.

‘You’re much prettier when you smile.’ Shane fixed her with a look that made Mia’s smile grow even wider. ‘You should do it more often.’

‘Yeah. I might give that a go,’ she said, still smiling as she spun around on her stool, sliding down from it just as Kip appeared from the corridor that led to the small apartment at the back of the clubhouse. Mia couldn’t stop her heart from giving the tiniest of leaps as she watched him rake a hand through his dirty-blonde hair, his toned torso shown off to perfection in a tight black T-shirt. She was still trying to get her head around the man he’d turned into since she’d last seen him. So different to that skinny seventeen year old she’d once had a childhood crush on.

Kip looked up as he approached the bar, a grin spreading across his face the second he saw her, and Mia felt her stomach join her heart in giving those tiny leaps, which she tried to push down. She tried to ignore them. But Kip Hart was undeniably hot, and that was something she
couldn’t
ignore. ‘Hey, gorgeous. You doing okay today?’

She loved hearing that northern English accent. And even though his was now peppered with the slightest Californian twang, it was still there. Still evident, that accent that reminded her of
Newcastle
. Her home. A place she could never go back to now. And that thought filled her with a sadness she couldn’t kick back down.

‘Something I said?’ Kip asked, noticing her sudden change of mood.

Mia stared into his beautiful blue eyes. Sometimes, when she looked at these men, it was hard to believe they were capable of the things they did; the constant fighting and the senseless killing and the sheer, bloody mess they created. But she had to remember that they were capable of anything. They all were. And no matter what she saw in their eyes she couldn’t forget that. They were capable of anything, as Lennie had proved.

‘I’ve got to go,’ she said quietly, grabbing her jacket and walking calmly out of the clubhouse, quickly and carefully checking along the row of bikes parked outside to see if any of them had a careless owner. Luckily for her, one of them appeared to have just that and she smiled to herself as she picked up the keys that had been left lying on the seat. Climbing on to the bike she quickly started it up and sped out of the yard, stopping only when she was out of sight of the compound.

Staring down at her hands gripping the handlebars, she took a long, deep breath, her heart racing, the adrenaline pumping through her. Something had clicked inside her back there, in the clubhouse. Something that had reminded her she couldn’t trust these men who lived within the confines of this club. She couldn’t trust any of them, even the ones who seemed kind and sweet and caring. Lennie had once seemed kind. Lennie had once seemed caring. She couldn’t trust any of them.

Looking up she exhaled slowly, feeling the rhythm of her heart return to normal, the tightness in her chest subside. She was in control of this situation, that’s what that lawyer had told her. And he was right. She was.

***

‘You talk to her much?’ Kip asked, sliding up on to the stool Mia had just vacated, taking the mug of coffee Shane held out to him.

‘Since she been here?’ Shane shrugged. ‘A little. She ain’t opening up a whole lot, though.’

Kip took a sip of coffee, wincing slightly as the hot liquid burned his throat. ‘You see a lot of shit going down with her when you were over in
Newcastle
?’

Shane threw the towel he’d been using to dry the glasses over his shoulder as he busied himself setting up more bottles behind the bar. ‘I had a lot of my own shit to deal with back then. Guess I didn’t have all that much time to think about anyone else’s.’

Kip took another sip of coffee, leaning forward as the caffeine hit started to kick in. ‘So, you had no idea what was going on between her and Lennie?’

Shane looked at Kip, folding his arms. ‘I guess things started to change after Lennie’s brother died. He became angry at the whole world, you know?’

‘And he took it out on Mia.’ It wasn’t a question.

Shane shrugged. ‘I guess. But she still married him. Still stayed with him.’

‘Maybe she felt she had to.’

‘Why you so interested in someone else’s shit anyway?’ Shane asked, a slow grin starting to spread across his face. ‘Oh, hang on. You think you stand a chance?’

‘I know I do.’ Kip reached for the bottle of bourbon sitting on the counter, pouring a healthy measure into what was left of his coffee. ‘Fresh blood, brother. Fresh blood.’

Shane started to wipe down the counter. ‘You really wanna go there? Given what she’s going through?’

Kip drained the last of his drink before getting up, pulling his cap from his back pocket and placing it over his ruffled hair. ‘Maybe I can help her forget all that crap, huh?’ He winked, pulling his cap further down over his eyes.

Shane shook his head, smiling slightly. ‘You gonna get yourself in a whole heap of trouble there, brother.’

‘Yeah. That’s what I’m hoping.’

***

Mia pushed past the somewhat irate receptionist, ignoring her shouts of protestation as she barged into the office without even considering a knock.

Ben looked up from his work, a surprised expression crossing his face.

‘I’m so sorry, Ben. I tried to stop her but she wouldn’t listen.’

‘It’s okay, Fiona.’

The receptionist threw him a confused look.

‘I said, it’s okay. I’ll deal with this.’

Mia was sure she heard a small snort of derision come from the woman as she reluctantly closed the door behind her, but Mia had come across her type before – the small-town girl who thought she’d done good. The type who thought they could look down their noses at people like Mia just because they looked a little different and refused to abide by every rule that was thrown at them.

Ben got up, walking around the front of his desk and leaning back against it, folding his arms. ‘You know, most people call first, or at least make an appointment.’

Mia moved a little closer, her eyes looking him up and down, this handsome man in the smart pants and the pressed shirt, although, he’d made it all look a little more casual by rolling the sleeves up to the elbows, and she couldn’t help but notice the tattoos he’d uncovered because of that. Why hadn’t she noticed them when she’d seen him at the clubhouse a few days ago? Because she was almost sure he’d had his shirtsleeves rolled up then, too. ‘I’m not most people.’ She checked out his tattoos again; the thick black ink that snaked up his forearms was hard to miss, and she still couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed it before.

Ben’s eyes followed her gaze. ‘The reason I do what I do – the reason I took the job representing the club is because, somewhere deep inside, I wanted to be back in a world I’m familiar with.’

She frowned, cocking her head slightly as she stared at him.

‘I used to be a biker,’ Ben continued, answering her silent question. ‘Had a Harley Davidson Forty-Eight…’ He stopped himself from saying any more. She knew as much as she needed to know.

 
‘So… what happened?’ Mia was intrigued now. Intrigued to find out why this man who’d called himself a biker had become someone who now wore a suit and worked behind a desk. ‘How do you go from biker to nine-to-five lawyer?’

Ben let out a short, sharp laugh. ‘Honey, this lawyer don’t work nine-to-five, believe me. And not all bikers raise hell and hang out at their clubhouse all day...’ He dropped his gaze, being careful not to open up too much. He’d told her enough. ‘There are people out there, just like me.’ He slowly raised his head, his eyes locking with hers. ‘People who used their bike as a means of escape when the drudgery of everyday life gets too much.’

Mia watched him closely as he spoke – taking in his green eyes as they held her gaze, the heavy stubble that covered his chin and jaw line; his short, dark hair that was just slightly messed-up enough to make him look a little less like a corporate monkey. ‘You used the past tense,’ she said, moving closer still.

‘Sorry?’

‘You said “used” their bikes. Past tense. You don’t ride any more?’

He shook his head, his eyes dipping again, breaking the stare. ‘No. Not any more.’

‘Why not?’

He looked back up, a slightly harder expression on his face now. ‘Have you come here for a reason, Mia? Is there something you need to tell me? Something you want to talk about?’

She smiled, taking hold of his tie, running her fingers over the smooth material. ‘I came here to tell you that I’m sorry. For being a pain in the arse when we met the other day. For coming across as a cold, hard bitch and... I’m sorry, okay?’

Ben gently removed her hand, brushing his tie back down against himself. ‘It’s okay, Mia. Really. Everything you’re feeling, it’s completely understandable.’

‘Oh, quit with the pompous crap, Ben. I’m guessing it doesn’t really suit you.’

It was his turn to frown as he looked at her. ‘You don’t
know
me.’

She smiled again, forgetting why she’d actually barged in here in the first place. All of a sudden she was enjoying playing with this man who gave off the impression he was one thing, when she had a feeling he was something else completely. Maybe she could have some fun here after all. Take her mind off all the crap. ‘I’d like to,’ she whispered, moving up close, her mouth almost touching his ear as she spoke. ‘I’d like to get to know you.’

‘I think you should go,’ he said, gently pushing her away before retreating back behind his desk.

‘Am I making you uncomfortable?’

He looked up, his eyes locking with hers. ‘Yes. You are. So, if you don’t have a reason to be here…’

‘Why did you stop riding?’

He continued to stare at her. ‘I… You need to go, Mia. I’ve got a lot of work to do…’