Desolate Souls (Forgotten Souls MC, #1) (36 page)

“F
uck!” I roar, tossing my plate across the room, feeling little satisfaction as it shatters into hundreds of pieces.

What the fuck did you expect? Did you think she was gonna be happy that you ruined her life?
The rational part of my conscious mocks my decision to bring Alana here, but what is done is done. There is no turning back.

With my head in my hands, I try to devise some plan to make her understand. I am all she has left in this world now that Jax is gone.

Jax.
Killing him wasn’t part of my plan, but neither was Alana’s resistance. She may have forgotten about the love we shared, but I have not. It’ll take time, but she will move on, eventually forgetting all about Jax again.

Who are you kidding? Alana has always been in love with Jax. You ridding him from this earth won’t change a thing. She will always remember him. Always love him. And don’t forget about that little reminder she’s carrying around with her.

The baby.

Yeah, the baby. You know, the life Jax and Alana created. You don’t stand a chance at winning her back. You’ve lost, Paul. The only good thing you’ve ever had in your life and you fucked it up.

“Shut up!” I shout, clamping my head in my hands. “She will love me,” I whisper, trying to convince myself. “She has to.”

Sinking back into the worn couch, I close my eyes, trying to regain control. This will work. I will make sure of it.

As I begin to calm, I hear a faint knock on the door. Pulling my revolver out instinctively, I rise from the couch, slowly making my way towards the door. Peering out the side window, I see Trix standing on the porch, her eyes reddened and puffy.

Letting out a ragged sigh, I prepare myself for her tirade. “What are you doing here?” I ask as I open the door.

Pushing her way past me, she enters the house. “Why?” she asks, her torment filled eyes meeting mine. There’s no need for her to elaborate because I know exactly what she wants to know.

“I didn’t have a choice,” I explain. “He was early. Came barging into the house. It was either him or me.”

“That’s not what we agreed on! Jax almost died because of you!”

“He’s alive?” I ask, swallowing hard.

“Barely.”

“You were the one who propositioned me, not the other way around,” I remind her. “I never made any promises.”

“So you get what you want and I’m left with nothing?”

“Not nothing, unless Ember’s no longer a concern.” My one ace in the hole. I knew Trix would never win Jax’s heart no matter how hard she tried, but I could guarantee her one thing – the safe return of her one and only sister.

“Where is she?”

“All in good time. Now that I know Jax is still in the picture, we have to get as far away from this place as possible.” Staying in an abandoned farmhouse was safe for the time being, but that was before I knew Jax had survived. “We’re gonna need new identities. License, birth certificate, passports – the works. You’ll have to be the middle man. I have a few favors still owed me. Once you get everything we need to start over, you’ll book us a flight out of the country. As soon as we touchdown, all it’ll take is one phone call. You’ll have your sister back and maybe even a chance with Jax if you’re lucky.”

“Not good enough. How do I know you’ll keep your word?”

“You don’t, but if you choose not to help me, I can promise you you’ll never see your dear Ember again. It’s quite sad, really. Knowing your sister is some sadistic bastard’s sex slave, catering to his every whim just so he doesn’t beat her senseless. If it were me, I’d do whatever it takes, but what do I know.”

Her bottom lip begins to quiver, her eyes filling with tears and I know I have her right where I want her. “Fine,” she mutters.

“Good. I’m glad we could reach an agreement that benefits us both. Give me a few minutes and I’ll get all the contact information you need. It shouldn’t take you more than a few hours to accomplish everything, and by this time tomorrow, you can be reunited with your sister,” I tell her before heading towards the back bedroom to retrieve my cell phone.

Stepping into the room, I feel a sense of accomplishment. This will work out, even better than I originally planned. Gripping my cell phone in my hand, I make my way back into the living room area to find it abandoned.

Scanning the room, I spot Trix’s purse lying on the floor, her illuminated cell phone falling to the ground. My eyes landing on the screen, I am filled with sudden rage.

You stupid son of a bitch! She set your ass up!

Barreling towards the basement door, I find it slightly ajar. Taking two steps at a time, I rush down the narrow staircase, pulling my gun out in the process. When I reach the bottom of the stairs, my eyes lock on Alana’s just as Trix speaks.

“You have to trust me, Alana. Jax...”

There is no hesitation as I pull the trigger, the bullet hitting my mark. Trix falls to the ground in a loud thud, blood immediately pooling around her head.

Instead of chaos, there is only stillness. Alana remains silent, her eyes widened with shock and fear as I lower my weapon, shoving it into the back of my jeans. Clenching my jaw tightly, I say nothing as I reach down and lift Trix in my arms before turning on my heel, leaving Alana alone to absorb everything she has just seen.

“D
id you get a lock on her position?” I ask, my chest tightening. Leaving the hospital against doctor’s orders wasn’t a smart move, but one I had to make.

“Not a precise one,” Deuce says, his face looking grim. “The tracker on her phone isn’t very sophisticated. We’ve narrowed it down to within a twenty mile radius.”

My heart sinks. Twenty miles might as well be a thousand. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack, but I refuse to give up.

“Spyder’s trying to narrow the search field. Getting a list of all abandoned and vacant properties. That’s where we’ll start.”

“So no word from Trix?” I’m still taken aback at Deuce’s discovery. It didn’t surprise me to learn of her involvement with Paul, but finding out about her sister was more than a little shocking.

“She’s off the radar,” he says, shaking his head.

“And you’re sure this wasn’t some elaborate scheme of hers?”

“I confirmed everything about her sister myself. Once I told Trix about your and Alana’s past, it was game over. She admitted everything and I believed her.”

I nod my head in understanding, trusting his instincts. “So what’s the game plan? Because I can’t just sit here and wait for some miracle.”

“I know,” he mutters. He still feels guilty and until Alana is home safe, he will continue to blame himself. No words from me will make a difference. “We just got confirmation of where Paul was staying. Hook did a sweep, but I’d feel more confident if one of us checked behind him. He’s still a little green. Maybe even check out Trix’s place and see what we can uncover.”

Rising to my feet, I nod in agreement. “I’ll take Paul’s place.”

“Alright, and I’ll tackle Trix. Keep the lines of communication open on this one, Jax. No playing the hero. If you find something, I want you to call me and we’ll go in together. Understood?”

I know what he’s saying and reluctantly I give in. “That goes both ways,” I remind him before I head towards the door.

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Five Days Later

A
lana stares straight ahead, her eyes honing in on the blood splatter staining the wall, a reminder of what she witnessed nearly a week ago. “Are you gonna talk to me?” I finally ask, breaking the silence.

“What’s there to say?” she says, her tone lacking any feeling. She is still in denial, but that will soon change.

“I was protecting you, Alana. Just like I always have.” Had I not intervened, Trix would’ve revealed the truth to Alana, something I couldn’t let happen.

“You never protected me,” she says through clenched teeth. “You sentenced me to a life of misery.”

“That’s not true,” I mutter. I can make Alana happy again, if she will just give me a chance. “We’re a team, remember?” I ask, using her own words against her.

“We. Are. Nothing!” she shouts, her eyes flaring with intense anger.

“Don’t say that!” I snap. “Everything I did was for you. Every lie I told was to protect you, keep you safe.”

“Safe? To protect me?” she says, turning her nose up in disgust. “How were you keeping me safe or protecting me by making me whore myself out? How was trying to kill my unborn son a benefit to me? How was killing the only man I ever loved helping me in any way? It wasn’t! Nothing you did was for me! It was all about you! It was always about you!” she screams, her face turning bright red as she unleashes an anger I have never seen from her before and it only fuels my own fury.

“Shut up!” I shout as I rear back my fist, slamming it into her cheek before I can stop myself.

She doesn’t even flinch as she reaches up and covers her already swelling cheek with her tiny hand. “I hate you,” she whispers, her cold gaze never leaving mine. “Like father like son.”

Her words gut me, cutting me to the core. Clenching my teeth tightly, I close my eyes, attempting to keep the demons at bay. Every image of my childhood, the brutality and torture I endured and kept buried for years resurfaces in that moment.

Opening my eyes, I see only him hovering over me with a menacing look. My father, the man I feared and loathed for so many years, is standing before me and this time I will not let him win.

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