Resurrection (The Lone Riders MC Series Book 3) (6 page)

Eight

‘You should be taking it easy. I think you forget it was only a few weeks ago you were in hospital.’

‘Enough,
Lexi
,
OK
? I’m fine.’ She stood in the doorway of the chapel, a concerned look on her pretty face. But Coby didn’t need concern. And he didn’t need her here, bitching about shit. He just needed some space, to think. ‘I’m fine, all right?’

‘Really? Only, that raspy cough you keep hacking every now and again would kind of tell me otherwise. You’re still recovering, Coby. I don’t know why you don’t let Kip take over for a while, then you could spend some time at home, get some proper rest.’

‘Come on, darlin’, you’re making me sound like an ageing invalid.’ He got up from the table, walking over to her, tucking a finger under her chin and tilting her face up so she looked right at him. ‘Do you think this place would be back up and running so quickly if I’d taken time away from here? Do you think this club would have been functioning again in a matter of days if I’d stayed in bed like a model patient?’

‘Oh, you’ll never be that, Coby, believe me.’ She threw him a half smile, closing her eyes as he kissed her gently. ‘I just worry about you. You’re not as young as you used to be.’

‘Jesus, Lex, way to go making a man feel good about himself.’

‘Something’s going on, Cobe. I’m not stupid.’

Sometimes he wished she were. It would make his life a whole lot less of a bitch than it was right now. ‘Nothing’s going on, I…’

She shook her head, backing away from him slightly, folding her arms back against herself. ‘Oh no. Don’t you dare say “I promise”. Don’t do that.’

Coby shrugged, a confused look on his face. Lexi just threw her head back and laughed, a short, almost manic laugh.

‘You really think I don’t know what you’re doing? I mean, yeah, it was naïve of me to think you’d be happy about taking a step back over Shane, but I thought you’d at least
try
and do that, for me. For Ozzie…’

‘I tried, Lexi, believe me, darlin’, but I can’t let it go. I can’t do that, sweetheart. I tried, but I can’t do it.’

‘Then I really
was
naïve, wasn’t I?’

Coby moved closer, reaching out to touch her but she swiped his hand away. ‘Come on, kid…’

‘You promised me, Coby. You promised me you wouldn’t do this; you’d let Michael and the police deal with it, that’s what you said. You promised me.’

‘And I’m sorry, baby, I am. I’m sorry. But he needs to be dealt with,
our
way.’

‘
Our
way? So, what? When –
if
you find him what exactly are you gonna do?’ A cynical laugh dripped from her lips. ‘Oh, yeah, I forgot. Need to know basis, huh? Because you don’t even stop to think about the shit this puts
me
through. Or any of the other old ladies who have to sit there day after day, night after night, wondering what the hell kind of fucked-up danger you’re putting yourselves in.’

‘And you’ve lived this fucking life long enough to know how to deal with that, Lexi.’

She stared at him, breathing in deep, anger creeping in. ‘We were over that. We were getting somewhere, Coby; moving away from the crap and the…’

‘Jesus, take the fucking rose-tinted glasses off, darlin’. You want some kind of happy-ever-after? You go find your Prince Charming some place else because this isn’t gonna
have
a fairytale ending. This is real, and it’s messed-up, and yes, it’s fucking dangerous because we are dealing with a man who has no morals. No boundaries. A man who wants
you
, Lexi, and you think I can just sit back and let him get away with what happened,
knowing
that?’

‘You could try.’ Her voice was quieter now, but its tone still verged on icy.

‘Trying didn’t work… Look, Lexi, it’s gonna be OK…’

‘No. No, don’t say that. Don’t even try and make me believe that, because that’s just cruel. You don’t know if it’s gonna be OK any more than I do. So don’t stand there and try and pacify me with a throwaway line you don’t even believe yourself. You do what you want, whatever you have to, but just know that I don’t want any part of it. I don’t want you to do it, I don’t even want him dead. The only thing I want is you, alive. I want you safe. And you can’t promise me that.’

‘Lexi!’

But she was out of there, striding down the corridor, her breath coming out in short, sharp bursts as she tried to calm down. Was she really going to kid herself she hadn’t seen this coming? Was she really that naïve?

Heading back into the clubhouse, she found Mia at one of the tables by the bar, staring down into a mug of coffee.

‘Hey. Everything all right?’ It didn’t look like it was, and in a strange way Lexi was glad about that. But only because there was nothing like someone else’s problems to make you forget about your own, even if it was just for a little while.

Mia looked up, blinking a couple of times, as though she’d been in some kind of dream state and was now desperately trying to pull herself back to reality. ‘Sorry? Oh, yeah. Yeah, everything’s just fine.’

‘You sure about that?’ Lexi sat down opposite her, gently pulling the mug of coffee from Mia’s grasp. ‘Only, this is stone cold, and you don’t seem to have drunk a drop. And that look on your face kind of tells me everything
isn’t
OK. Something happened with Ben?’

Mia’s eyes briefly dipped to the table top before she raised her gaze to meet Lexi’s. ‘Has he been acting strange to you?’

Lexi frowned. ‘Strange? How do you mean?’

‘I dunno.’ Mia shrugged, staring back down at the table. ‘I mean, I’ve known he’s had something on his mind for a while now…’

‘Before or after he joined the Lone Riders? As a brother, I mean.’

‘Before. But it’s got worse now, Lex. Over the past few weeks he just seems to have changed. Not much, to begin with, and I just put it down to the fact he’s had a real shift in circumstance lately. I mean, meeting me, what happened with Coby and the fire – going back to the life of a biker when he’d all but left that behind. That must have affected him in some way. But recently his moods have gotten darker…’

‘Darker?’ Lexi’s voice carried more than a hint of concern, given what Mia had already been through.

‘No, I didn’t mean it like that,’ Mia said, vigorously shaking her head. ‘I meant, he has these moods, times when he goes all quiet. When he wants to be alone. And he won’t talk to me like he used to. I know – I
know
we haven’t been together all that long, but we used to talk, all the time, about everything; moving in together, our future… And then… this morning I find him in front of the mirror, staring into it like he’s in a trance. He was shaving his hair down to a buzz-cut, I mean, what made him do that? He wouldn’t talk to me when I asked what was going on, not at first, but even when he did… He’s shutting me out, Lexi, and I’m scared. Because something’s going on, and I think it has to do with his dad. His family. Something to do with the Dark Angels, and I’m scared.’

Lexi breathed out a heavy sigh. Shit really was hitting the fan from all angles today. ‘Look, Mia, I could sit here and tell you it’s all gonna be OK, but I know for a fact you’re not gonna believe that. You’re Charlie’s daughter, just like me, and you know when something’s not right.’

‘What do I do?’ Mia whispered. ‘What the fuck am I supposed to do?’

‘The only thing you
can
do. You sit tight, and you wait for the storm to blow over.’

***

Ben sat on the wall outside the garage, sharpening a small flick knife on the brickwork.

‘You’ll blunt it, if you carry on like that.’ Luca reached down and took the knife from Ben’s hand, turning it over and checking it out. ‘Nice tool. You carrying it around for a reason?’

Ben grabbed the knife back, shoving it in the top pocket of his cut. ‘None of your business.’ He lit up a cigarette, drawing deep.

‘What crawled up
your
ass this morning? And what’s with the new look?’

Ben eyed Luca warily, taking another draw on his cigarette. ‘Like I said, none of your business.’

‘Y’know, you might want to lose a bit of the attitude there, brother. You’re one of us now, but nobody wants to see a cocky, arrogant dick walking around like he owns the joint. Especially when he’s still, technically, the new boy.’

Ben stood up, a slight smirk on his handsome face. ‘Yeah. I’m not really in the mood for this.’

Luca stared him out through narrowed eyes, laughing quietly. ‘Shit. And I thought you were gonna be fun.’

‘I don’t need this.’ Ben tossed his cigarette onto the ground, leaving it to smoulder.

Luca watched as he walked away, climbed onto his bike and sped off. ‘Something I said?’ he mumbled under his breath, turning to walk back towards the clubhouse.

‘Everything all right there?’

Luca looked up as Kip fell into step beside him. ‘Everything’s fine.’

‘Any idea where he’s off to?’ Kip asked, jerking his head in the direction of a departing Ben.

‘He wasn’t really in the mood for conversation. Why you so interested anyway?’

‘Just wondered if Coby’s plan had kicked into action yet, that’s all. Thought he might be heading off to see his father.’

Luca stopped walking, looking over at the clubhouse. Mia and Lexi were sitting outside, deep in conversation. ‘Do they know anything yet? About what’s going on?’

Kip shrugged. ‘No idea. Not sure what Coby’s told them. He probably thinks it’s best to keep them in the dark for as long as we can, given that we’re dealing with Shane, and that Ben’s the one trying to help flush him out.’

 
Luca eyed Kip with a wary expression. ‘You still don’t trust him much, do you? Ben, I mean.’

‘Something just doesn’t feel right, Luc. And after everything Mia’s been through…’

‘You sure this isn’t all because you’ve still got feelings for her? I know she’s your sister and all, but you’re still getting used to that bombshell, aren’t you?’

‘It’s not that.’ Kip watched as Lexi said something to Mia, which caused both of them to laugh out loud.

‘You sure?’

‘I’m not in love with my fucking sister, Luc.’ But only because the law told him he couldn’t be; because he had no other choice.

Luca followed Kip’s gaze. ‘You’re not gonna do anything stupid, are you?’

‘Like what?’ He was finding it hard to keep the agitation out of his voice now.

‘I dunno.’ Luca shrugged. ‘But if I were you, I’d be throwing all my attention in Cat’s direction instead of worrying about Mia. She can look after herself. She doesn’t need a babysitter. You coming inside?’

‘Yeah. In a minute.’

Luca’s expression carried more than a hint of warning, but he offered up no comment before disappearing inside the clubhouse.

Kip leaned back against the wall, his head down, the sound of Mia’s laughter still ringing out around the yard. She’d be better off without a man like Ben Salter – a man who, right now, was probably in more danger than he realized.

A smile spread slowly across Kip’s face.

He didn’t feel one ounce of guilt about that.

Nine

Ben pulled up outside the house he hadn’t been anywhere near in over five years. And he felt nothing – no regret, no guilt; no fear. He’d done a good job closing down every emotion it would be dangerous to feel right now.

Climbing off his bike he leaned back against it, folding his arms, taking another look at the house. It still looked the same, but his father never had been the house proud type. After his mother had left, Hector had spent most of his time at the Dark Angels’ clubhouse leaving Ben and his brother and sister in the care of various “aunts”. It hadn’t been the most conventional of upbringings, so it was only natural they’d all gravitated towards the club and that sometimes twisted sense of family it could give you – another reason why his mother had never returned; never come back to “save” her kids from that life she’d hated so much. And that was something that had never really left Ben; something that had always stayed with him. Something that had fuelled the hate? Stoked the anger he’d directed at the world back then?

Running both hands over his head he took a deep breath before making his way up the path to the front door. Another deep breath. He needed one more second, just a second to get his head exactly where he needed it to be. Then one sharp rap on the dirty white door.

He heard footsteps from inside, the sound of several dogs barking coming from the back yard. But all he felt was an overwhelming strength. So when the door flew open, and his father stood there in front of him, all jet-black hair and unkempt goatee beard, a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth, Ben was ready. For whatever this turned out to be.

Hector said nothing; he just stood aside to allow Ben through, closing the door behind them.

‘You came.’ When he did finally speak, his voice was, as usual, devoid of emotion, his eyes empty.

Ben stared at his father, looking him slowly up and down from his old, battered boots to his well-worn cut, his hair pulled back into a long ponytail. ‘Not because you summoned me. I’d like to get that straight.’

Hector chuckled quietly, blowing smoke into the air. The living room smelt of stale cigarettes and alcohol with just a hint of dog. It almost made Ben gag. Was this really the way his father lived now? ‘I have a cleaner,’ Hector said, not missing Ben’s reaction to the state of the house. ‘She comes twice a week. Tomorrow’s one of her days. Not sure how I’d manage without her.’

Ben looked around him, taking in the old couch he remembered, although there were two new chairs now at either end of the living room. The TV was new, too, a way-too-large-for-the-size-of-the-room flat-screen on the wall opposite the couch. It was playing a football game, the sound muted. And the carpet had been ripped up since Ben had last been here, leaving exposed wooden floorboards that had yet to be treated.

‘There are things we need to talk about, Benjamin.’

Ben’s head shot back around to face his father, their eyes locking.

‘We need to deal with this – “situation” that’s been hanging over our heads for too long now.’

Ben’s eyes narrowed. He felt numb, but that’s how he needed to feel. He had a job to do, and no matter how much it pained him to do this, it made sense, in a warped kind of way. Keep your enemies closer, isn’t that what they said?

‘You know that coming back here – you know that was a mistake, don’t you?’

‘It wasn’t the only mistake.’ Ben kept his eyes locked firmly on his father’s, silently battering down the wave of nausea that had suddenly overcome him.

Hector raised an eyebrow, waiting for Ben to enlighten him.

‘Joining the Lone Riders…
that
was a mistake.’

Hector laughed, a deep, quiet chuckle that, somehow, only served to fuel Ben’s anger at this man who’d fucked up his life in every way possible. ‘What
is
this, Benjamin? You come running to me because you’ve suddenly seen the error of your ways?’

‘I fell in love…’

‘Ah, the beautiful Mia Rose. Yes. I can see why you may have been swayed into making such rash decisions as the ones you’ve made recently.’

Ben’s eyes narrowed further, that anger building, and it was taking energy he knew he needed to preserve to keep it down. ‘You leave Mia out of this, you hear me?’

‘Oh, come on, Benjamin. I wouldn’t do anything as crass as using a woman to get back at you.’

‘All this shit between us… it needs to end. Now.’ Ben’s voice was low, his words measured.

‘And I’m not going to disagree with you. This does indeed need to end. But how we do that… well. That needs to be discussed.’

‘I made a mistake. I should never have become one of them. The second I pulled on that cut I knew I didn’t belong… I knew I was betraying you. Betraying the Dark Angels.’

‘You’d already betrayed us, son.’

‘You can honestly stand there and still believe that’s true? Huh? Or have you lived with the lie for so long now that you actually
do
believe the shit you spin?’

‘You need to show some respect, Benjamin. Or this conversation is going to take a very different turn.’

Ben held his hands up, a slow smirk spreading across his face. ‘Hey. Take your best shot. Come on. You think I’m afraid to die?’ Even as he said the words, he knew he needed to pull back from this. For now, he had to pull back from this. The time would come for him to deal with his father. He just had to be patient.

Hector let out another chuckle, his eyes never leaving Ben’s. ‘I brought you up well, my son. But did you honestly think it was going to be that easy?’

Ben lowered his arms, but stood his ground. ‘I know too much. I know everything. I know things you don’t ever want Sol to find out, because if he did…’ He stopped talking, breaking the stare, briefly lowering his gaze before raising his head to once more meet his father’s eyes. ‘You know what he’d do… Look, I don’t want to dig it all up again. That’s not why I’m here. I don’t want any trouble between us, I really don’t. I just want my family back.’ Saying those words made him feel sick. All of a sudden shutting down his emotions was becoming a much tougher job than he’d anticipated. ‘I’ve had a lot of time to think and… I made a mess of everything, Dad, and I just want a chance to prove my loyalty. To prove I can finally be the son you want me to be.’

‘And what about Sol?’

Ben said nothing for a second or two, a weary resignation sweeping over him. ‘I guess I have to make him believe that the remorse I’m feeling is real. It’s just hard to feel remorse for something you didn’t do.’

Hector was still wary, Ben could tell. The old man’s eyes had not one flicker of any emotion that Ben could read, and he really had no idea which way this was going to go.

‘It was bad enough you working for them,’ Hector began, moving a little closer. ‘Even
that
was a dig we should never have ignored. But becoming
one
of them? That made everything so much worse.’

Ben’s eyes searched his father’s old and tired face, every line and scar hiding the secrets he never wanted exposing.

‘And you coming here, telling me this, I wasn’t expecting that. Does it change anything?’ Hector cocked his head slightly, a slow, sideways smile twisting up the corner of his mouth. ‘I don’t know, Benjamin. I really don’t know.’