Resurrection (The Lone Riders MC Series Book 3) (17 page)

Twenty-Three

‘Everything set?’ Hector asked, walking into the lock-up.

Sol looked at his father. ‘Everyone’s up to speed.’

‘And Ben?’

‘He knows what’s happening now. He knows the plan.’ Sol walked over to a pile of crates, sliding the lid of the last open one shut. ‘You sure these guns are gonna do the job? I never did trust Uller and his crew, not after that hit on that MC just outside of Vegas went bad. Mis-firing weapons, guns that wouldn’t…’

‘Where’s your brother now?’

Sol shrugged. ‘I don’t keep him on a leash.’

‘Maybe you should. He’s been doing one too many disappearing acts lately. And look what happens when we let him out on his own. He had no right taking Shane’s fate into his own hands. It wasn’t his place to decide when that should happen.’

‘It’s not like it’s caused us a problem though, is it? We didn’t really need Shane. He’d outlived his use a long time ago. And he was never gonna get what he wanted anyway, you were gonna make sure of that.’ Sol’s gaze met his father’s. ‘Coby Walker’s yours, isn’t he?’

Hector dug his hands deep into his pockets, a slow smile starting to spread across his face. ‘I will take great pleasure in bringing him and his club down. But I’ll take even greater pleasure in making sure your brother pays the true price for what he did.’

Sol leaned back against the wall, pulling a cigarette from the packet with his teeth and lighting up. ‘He’s come back to us. Back to the Dark Angels. Does that not show you where his real loyalties lie?’

‘You saying I should forget everything else that happened, just because Ben chose to stay?’

Sol shrugged. ‘Considering he was sent here to deceive us, I’d say he’s kind of shown us how loyal he is.’

Hector laughed, a sound devoid of any humor. ‘That’s not how it works, son. Yes, he’s shown loyalty, and that’s commendable. But it’s too late. What he did, what he
knows
– that can’t be overlooked any longer.’

Sol flicked ash onto the dirty concrete floor. ‘Maybe.’ Taking one last drag he stubbed the cigarette out on the wall behind him. ‘You do know that Coby’ll have tight security surrounding the place, don’t you? Me and Hog, we had a drive by last night and they’re setting up already. The place is gonna be flanked by men, all of them armed…’

 
‘It’s all in hand, Sol.’ Hector cut his son off, refusing to listen to negativity. He was too close to the endgame now. ‘As long as everyone knows what they’re doing. A few minutes and it’ll all be over. That’s all it’s going to take – a few minutes, and the Lone Riders will be history, meaning we can move this club into a new phase… exciting times, Sol. Don’t forget that.’

Hector seemed to drift off into a brief trance, and Sol watched him closely. Did he really have no idea what was about to happen? Because if Sol knew one thing about his father it was that he was rarely made a fool of. And they – Sol, Ben, this club; they were about to end his time here in spectacular fashion, lull him into a false sense of security, make him think that he’d won his first battle, brought the Lone Riders down; they’d let him have that one. But what happened after that, that’s when the game was going to change.

‘When do you plan to take out Ben?’ Sol asked, his eyes still fixed firmly on his father.

‘When I’m ready,’ Hector replied, his tone dismissive. ‘Get everyone together. I’m calling church tonight. I want to go over everything again, one last time. Make sure everything’s in place.’ He started walking away, then stopped, turning back around to face Sol. ‘Find out where your brother is, and get him back here.’

Sol watched Hector leave the lock-up, the sound of his heavy, worn boots dragging along the hard ground making Sol’s skin crawl. His father – the man with a devil inside. But not for much longer. The poison was about to be sucked out of their club, something Sol had been waiting to do for years. Something he should have done a lot sooner. Something he needed to do, for his sake, for Ben – for the Dark Angels.

***

Mia felt her blood run cold, like pure ice was coursing through her veins. Her first instinct was to run, to get as far away from this man as she could but her whole body felt as though someone was pinning it back against the wall. She couldn’t move. She could only stare at him with wide, frightened eyes as he told her just what the Dark Angels were planning to do at Coby and Lexi’s wedding. A bloodbath. A massacre. A nightmare scenario that Mia was sure even Coby hadn’t anticipated. He knew something was coming, but this?

‘You’re lying,’ she whispered, barely able to keep her voice from shaking, the words only just audible. ‘You can’t… you’re lying.’

‘I wish I was, Mia. But this is real, it’s happening. And I can’t stop it.’

She shook her head, over and over again, as though doing that would make this all go away. ‘You’re sick. All of you. There are going to be kids there, do you understand that? Innocent people, babies, and they’re just gonna stand there and gun them down? For what? Power? Control? You’re fucking crazy!’

‘No, Mia, listen to me.
Listen!
There
will
be unnecessary deaths, and I’m sorry for that…’

She finally felt her body release itself from those invisible shackles that had seemingly been holding her back. ‘You keep saying sorry, Ben, but I don’t believe you mean it. Any of it. It’s just a word that continues to fall out of your mouth…’

‘I am sorry, Mia, for what might happen tomorrow. But I can’t control what the rest of the club will do, all I can tell you is, I’m only after one man. I only want one man dead, and he is the only one I am gunning for…’

Mia’s eyes widened as she backed up against the wall. ‘Have you heard yourself? You stood there, not five minutes ago, and you told me men like you could change, but you’re wrong. Listen to what you’re saying, Ben. You’re wrong.’

‘I can’t stand it, what he did…’ He bowed his head, leaning over the sink, his fingers gripping the edges as he tried to push the image of Coby fucking Mia out of his mind, but it wouldn’t shift. It was like it was engrained there, forever, a constant reminder of how his past had infringed on the future he’d so badly wanted. Was that the way it was always going to be now? Was what he’d done in the past always going to fuck up his future? ‘Did it feel good, Mia? When he touched you? When he slid his fingers inside you…?’ He turned around to face her, her expression one of confusion mixed with a growing fear. ‘When he
fucked
you? Did it feel good?’

‘I don’t… I don’t understand…’

He walked over to her, and once again she felt those invisible shackles snap back around her, rendering her unable to move.

‘I saw, Mia. I saw what Coby did to you. What you
let
him do.’

‘No, Ben…’

He cocked his head, his eyes burning into hers, his hand resting against her cheek. ‘He can’t get away with that, you see that, don’t you? He betrayed me.’

‘
We
weren’t together, Ben. I wasn’t
yours
…’

‘That makes it all right then, does it? Forgive me, Mia, but you let the club president – a man who is with your
sister
– put his cheating dick inside of you, and you didn’t fight him. And I know you didn’t fight him because I watched everything. I saw it all. And it killed me, darlin’, because I still love you. So fucking much.’ He leaned in closer, and Mia closed her eyes, unable to stop the kiss from happening, his mouth closing in on hers so fast and so hard it yanked every last breath out of her. ‘I love you, Mia. And you let Coby Walker touch you, like that. I can’t forget that happened. I can’t forgive him for being so weak. So he needs to go.’

‘You’re not thinking rationally, Ben. It doesn’t need to be…’

‘It does. So don’t stand there and tell me we can sort this out, because you know what happens. You know. And so does he. Only, this time, it won’t be as simple as allowing him the chance to leave town. This time he needs to be taught that you can’t fuck around and get away with it. You can’t do that.’

‘You’re evil,’ Mia hissed, trying to kick out at him but he stopped her, grabbing the top of her leg, chuckling quietly as his hand snaked further up and under the robe she was wearing.

‘We were happy, Mia. You and me,’ he whispered, nuzzling her neck, covering it in tiny, light kisses that, against her better judgement, sent a shiver rippling through her, but one that ultimately turned her stomach.

‘I was happy with Ben Salter.’ She tried to push him away but he was like a dead weight against her.

‘I don’t want to hurt you, Mia.’ He pulled back slightly, his expression softening, and Mia felt that wave of confusion and fear wash over her again. ‘I don’t really want to hurt anyone, but Coby… I can’t ever forgive him.’

‘Then you’re a weak man.’

He stepped forward, his hand on the side of her neck, that softer expression disappearing as quickly as it arrived, his eyes once more blazing with something that terrified Mia. ‘He’s the weak one, don’t you see? He has a beautiful woman, a baby boy, a warm, loving family around him and yet he chose to risk it all for a five minute fuck with his sister-in-law-to-be. He’s the weak one, Mia. And I need to know, darlin’, if it happened again.’

‘It only happened once. That one time.’

‘You sure?’ He raised an eyebrow, his expression disbelieving.

‘I’m telling the truth, Ben. It only happened once.’ Full sex had only happened once. She was choosing to forget the first finger-fuck had happened. Telling Ben about that could only make this already volatile situation even worse.

‘I’m giving you one more chance, Mia. To tell me the fucking truth here.’

From somewhere deep inside her Mia felt a strength rise up and she breathed in deep, knocking his hand from her leg and kicking him away, so hard he staggered backwards. But he was quick to steady himself. He just hadn’t banked on her fighting back.

‘It happened once, Ben. And I regret it, Coby regrets it, it was a huge, fucking mistake…’

‘You think? But as for it happening just once, well, I have it on good authority that he was here, just a day or so ago, in this house. And you were alone. So, you still gonna stand there and tell me it was just once?’

‘I’m telling you the fucking truth, are you listening to me? He came over, I’m not gonna deny that, but
nothing
happened.’

‘But he wanted it to.’ It wasn’t a question.

Mia turned away, pushing a hand through her hair as she tried to steady her breathing. ‘He wanted to. I didn’t. And in the end, neither did he. We both knew it was taking things too far. We’d crossed a dangerous line, one we needed to step back over before things got out of hand.’

‘How ironic, huh? That you took that step back when you might as well have just gone for it. Once, twice, a hundred fucking times, it doesn’t matter. He did it. You let him. Game over.’

‘I didn’t want it, Ben.’

‘That’s not what it looked like to me, when he had you slammed up against that wall with his filthy, lying dick buried deep inside you. From what I could see, darlin’, you were taking it like a true biker whore…’

She slapped him hard, the smack sending out a satisfying echo around the tiled bathroom. ‘I’m gonna tell Coby what’s going on, you hear me? Because you don’t scare me, Ben. Men like you, you’re pathetic with your threats and your metaphoric dick-waving that amounts to fuck all most of the time…’

He grabbed her wrist, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous vibe that made Mia’s stomach turn again, the nausea rising fast. ‘Don’t do that, Mia. Don’t.’

‘This isn’t gonna happen, Ben. I won’t let it.’ She broke free of his grip, running from the bathroom but he came after her, slamming her back against the hall wall.

‘Don’t go there tomorrow, Mia. I’m begging you now, don’t go to that wedding.’

‘What do
you
care, huh? If you can stand there and tell me what your sick and twisted club are gonna do and not even the tiniest part of you can see how wrong that is – if you can do that, what do
you
care
who
gets caught up in the fallout?’

‘I love you, Mia.’

‘You’re incapable of that emotion, Ben.’

‘I love you.’

There was a part of her now that felt a sudden, inexplicable shot of sympathy for this man in front of her. And she hated herself for even acknowledging it. ‘You really think I can stand by and let my family – my club – go down like that? When I
knew
it was coming? I’m going to my sister’s wedding, Ben. You want to do this, then you do it with
me
there.’

‘Jesus!’ Ben sighed, letting go of her and stepping back, throwing himself against the wall opposite. ‘
Jesus!
’

She just stood there and watched him for a few, long seconds. His body language was nervous, agitated, and she knew she should have been more scared than she was, but she also knew why she wasn’t feeling as terrified as the situation should have been making her feel. He really didn’t want to hurt her. If that had been his intention, he’d had plenty of opportunity to do it before now. So he didn’t want to hurt her.

‘I’m going to my sister’s wedding, Ben.’