Spark of Vengeance: MacKenny Brothers Series Book 2: An MC/Band of Brothers Romance

by Kathleen Kelly

  Beth looks down. “You only tipped her five percent.”

  “She did take a long time getting our drinks and food.”

  Beth frowns, so I throw more bills on the table. Then, without another word, Beth moves toward the front door.

  “You better take care of her, brother. I like her,” states Kyle as he follows Beth outside.

  Angus, being the little prick he can be, grins broadly at me and waggles his finger in my face. “Yeah, brother, you better take care of that one.”

  Cutter shakes his head and follows all of us out onto the sidewalk.

  I catch up to Beth and link her hand with mine. She scowls at me, but at least she doesn’t pull away. When we get back to the motel, Beth sits on the bench outside our door. I sit beside her waiting for the conversation I know is coming.

  “Do you want me here?” She has her knees apart, leaning her elbows on them, staring straight ahead with a slight frown marring her forehead.

  “It’s not about that.”

  Her head swings in my direction. “You don’t even think it’s Scope doing this. So, how am I not safe?”

  I move closer and put my arm around her, but Beth stays locked in position.

  “I could be wrong. Or the person or persons who killed your father could catch up with me. What if you’re here? What if they get you, too?”

  “Lots of ifs in that sentence. I can watch your back, and you can watch mine. That way I’m protected, you’re protected, and we’ll both feel safer.”

  I nod conceding defeat, then I lean in, grab her chin, and kiss her lightly on the lips. “Country girl, you’ll be safer with Kyle, but I’m so glad you want to stay.”

  She rewards me with a smile and twists in the seat so she can kiss me properly. My hand travels to the back of her head as I hold her close to me.

  Angus’ wolf whistle ruins the moment.

  Beth is the first to pull away, her face red with embarrassment.

  “I need the keys to your bike, brother.”

  I growl at him and lean back in the seat. “Maybe you should take the car?”

  I watch as his gaze moves from me to the old Toyota. It’s had the rust cut out of it in so many places, it now looks like a patchwork of colors. We purchased it off a guy who swore, although she looks rough, she runs like a dream. I wouldn’t say she runs like a dream, but she runs.

  Without looking at me, Angus says, “I’ll never keep up with them in that thing. We both know I need your bike and brother, if I drop it, you can skin me, or I’ll buy you a new one.”

  Reluctantly, I reach into my pocket and pull out the keys. “You know she’s got original paintwork?”

  “Sean, it’s black! It might be original, but it’s black. If I drop it or scratch it, you’ll never know after I’m done repainting her.”

  I scowl and stand. “Oh, I’ll know, brother. Believe me, I’ll know.”

  Angus takes his keys and shakes his head.

  Beth stands and throws her arms around him. For a moment, he flounders, not quite knowing what to do, and then he returns her embrace.

  “You be careful on the road.”

  Angus suddenly becomes shy and moves away from Beth, not meeting her eyes. “It should take us the better part of five days to get home.”

  Cutter comes up behind him. “Bullshit! We’ll do it in three.”

  Kyle comes up behind Cutter. “Now, who’s talking bullshit? We’ll probably do it in four.”

  Kyle holds out his hand, and we shake, then he pulls me into an awkward hug. There are many things we need to talk about, but now is not the time. Kyle pushes me back and puts his hands in his jeans pockets. Quietly he says, “I’m not losing you, brother. You take no chances.”

  “I’ll be careful. I’ve got precious cargo here with me.” Both of us look at Beth

  “Yeah, you do.”

  Kyle has never been one for long goodbyes. He straps his gear to his bike and climbs on while Angus and Cutter do the same. Soon, the small parking lot is filled with the sound of Harleys.

  Beth stands next to me, snaking her arm around my waist, and absentmindedly, I kiss the top of her head.

  Kyle places his sunglasses on his face, nods at us, and rides out of the motel with Cutter close behind him.

  Angus throws me a burner phone. “I’m the only one who has that number. I will ring you when we’ve dealt with Senator Towell. Until then, stay safe, stay alive, and look after Beth.”

  “I will, brother.”

  Angus nods and rides out of the motel.

  I stand there for a while listening to the sound of their Harleys becoming fainter and fainter. Beth doesn’t move either. She seems content to be next to me, so I look down and find her eyes staring up at me. “You okay?”

  “How can I not be? I’ve got you.”

  Then I turn, wrapping my arms around her, and with a wicked grin, I say, “I’ve also got a motel room with a bed.”

  Beth agrees with an odd. “Hmm, what shall we do?”

  Bending, I pick her up and open the door to the motel. “I can think of a few things,” I reply, pushing it shut with my foot.

  Sean

  It’s the early hours of the morning, and light has barely come into the world. Beth is snoring lightly beside me, her leg and arm are strewn across my body. I’ve been awake for a few hours, trying to decide on the best course of action.

  There’s been no movement at Scope’s house. I’ve been staring at the monitor, hoping he would show his face.

  The shrill sound of the motel phone pierces the air, and I jump, waking Beth as I do.

  Beth sits up, the sheet that was covering her body falls to her waist, exposing her beautiful creamy breasts, but I don’t have time to admire them as I lean over and take the phone out of its cradle. “Hello,” I answer, knowing full well the only people who know we’re here are my brothers.

  “Hello, Sean, it’s been a while.”

  “Scope?”

  “Yeah, man. The waitress at the diner told me you were in town.”

  “How did the waitress know who I was?”

  “Your colors, man… your colors. I told her you were part of the Loyal Rebels MC, and if you came to town, she should call me, and she did.”

  “Did you do it?”

  “No, it wasn’t me. I’m not far out of town. Can you come? Alone?”

  “How do I know I can trust you?”

  “If I wanted you dead, man, you’d be dead already.”

  “Do you know we’re the only ones left?”

  Silence greets me on the other end of the line.

  “It’s why I need you to come alone. How do I know it wasn’t you?”

  “It wasn’t me, brother. I didn’t even know the others were dead. I went to visit Thomas Trent, and his daughter told me he’d been murdered. It was then I reached out to the others…” my voice trails off the enormity of knowing my brothers in arms are now gone.

  I feel Beth moving behind me, and then I feel her arms around my waist, her front to my back.

  “I’m about thirty miles out of town. It’s remote. I’ll give you the coordinates to my position. Come alone, Sean. There’s much we need to discuss.”

  “Give me the coordinates.”

  I listen as Scope reads them out, and I write them on the pad next to the phone. Beth works her way around me and stares up at my face shaking her head slightly. I hold up a hand to her as I listen to Scope reiterate that I am to come alone. At the end of the call, I hang up and look at my Beth.

  “You can’t go alone. It’s too dangerous.”

  “Babe, I have to. He says it’s not him, but he also doesn’t trust me. He thinks it could be me.”

  “Let me come with you.”

  With a shake of my head, I place both hands around her face. “No, Beth.”

  “You promised Kyle you wouldn’t do anything on your own.”

  “I know… but it was always going to be this way.” Beth lets out an angry growl. “I’m not goi
ng to risk anyone, not you and not my brothers. If Scope is doing this, I have to be the one to take him out.”

  “He’s not some rabid dog, Sean. He’s a trained Marine.”

  “So am I. I’m not going in unarmed, there’s a gun store in town.”

  “I could hang back, be your backup?”

  I lean down and kiss her lips then pull back slightly. “No, I won’t risk you.”

  “At least ring Angus and let him know what’s going on.”

  I grin at her. “Okay.”

  Relief washes over her features, and she offers me a small smile. “You make the call while I go shower.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Beth goes up on tiptoes and presses her lips to mine, while my hands go instantly to her ass.

  “Go shower, country girl, or I may never leave this room.”

  With her head cocked to the side, Beth asks, “Would it be such a bad thing?”

  Pushing her toward the bathroom, I chuckle. “No, it wouldn’t, but there are things to do.”

  Beth walks toward the bathroom, swaying her hips as she goes, letting me know what I’m missing out on.

  I wait until she closes the bathroom door, then instead of calling Angus, I send him a text, letting him know the coordinates of the meeting with Scope.

  If I hear his or Kyle’s voice, I won’t go in alone, but this is something I have to do by myself.

  Beth helped me pick out a rifle, and we bought her a burner phone in town. I also gave her the coordinates to Scope’s place.

  Now, I’m sitting at the bottom of a concealed driveway I almost missed. Placing my cell to my ear, I ring her one last time before I make the trek to Scope.

  “Hey,” she says breathlessly.

  “I’m here. I nearly missed the driveway. There’s a mile marker about ten yards before it.”

  “So, you’ve driven up the old highway, and you’re turning inland near a mile marker?”

  “Yeah, that about sums it up. There’s a lot of trees and vegetation and nothing else. I’ll ring you after I’ve talked to Scope.”

  “You’ll ring me in thirty minutes, or I’m coming out there after you.”

  The ferocity of her voice warms my heart. “Anyone would think you like me, country.”

  “It’s more than that, and you know it. Thirty minutes.”

  “Okay, Beth, I’ll call in thirty minutes.”

  I hear her release a breath then almost in a whisper, she says, “You come back to me in thirty.”

  “Talk soon.” I hang up and drive the car up the steep incline as far as it will go. My only option is to get out and walk. The track in front of me has hardly seen use, so much so it’s mostly overgrown. I sling the rifle over my shoulder and cautiously walk further in.

  My eyes flick from tree to tree looking for unknown assailants, but I find nothing and no one. It takes ten minutes to get to the cabin. It’s on the edge of a rise, which leads to a valley. The cabin has an area cleared around it, and there’s no way to get inside without the occupant knowing you’re coming.

  Once I hit the tree line, I pause, trying to decide my best course of action, but I have no choice other than going in. With my hands raised, I walk across the grassy flat toward the cabin’s front door.

  No one calls out.

  No one shoots me.

  There’s no noise.

  It’s almost as if the whole forest has gone quiet.

  I knock on the cabin door, and there’s nothing. Turning the handle, I slowly push the door open to a sickly-sweet smell that hits me instantly. I venture a little further inside.

  That’s when I see it in front of me, sitting in the corner on a chair with a shotgun on the floor, a headless corpse, and what’s left of the head is splattered all over the wall behind it. From the looks and smell, it’s been here for days.

  I pull up my T-shirt, so it covers my nose and mouth. The stench is permeating everything in the room. The corpse has a tattoo on his arm of a rifle—it’s Scope.

  I kick the door closed and plaster myself against a wall.

  Fuck! Whoever called me wasn’t Scope.

  I’ve walked into a trap.

  At least I have my rifle.

  Going low, I remove the sight from my rifle and use it to peer out one of the windows. All I can see are trees, there’s no movement, and I try to determine where the shooter might be. If it were me, I’d take higher ground to give me an advantage over my prey. If I can make it to the tree line, I’ve got a chance of getting out of here alive. Why he didn’t just shoot me when I arrived, confuses me. I guess he wanted to play with me a little.

  Twisting the handle of the door, I pull hard, and it creaks loudly as it falls back on its hinges. I’m straining to hear any kind of noise outside, but there’s nothing. I pull the burner phone out of my pocket to call Beth, but there’s no reception. Cursing, I tuck the cell back inside my cut.

  Not seeing anyone or any kind of movement, I burst out of the cabin and run for the tree line, and that’s when I hear the shot. I tuck and roll as a bullet explodes into a tree in front of me. I get up and dive down the incline, stumbling, falling, and running as I try not to impale myself on a fallen branch or some other dangerous obstacle in my way.

  The shooter missed.

  I got fucking lucky this time.

  At least I have a head start, but I know I probably won’t make it out of here alive.

  Beth

  Sean is going to be pissed, but I can’t let him face Scope on his own, and it’s been over forty minutes since he checked in. If it’s true, and this man did kill my dad, I want to be the one to end him. I glance again at the clock. The smell of Sean is still on the sheets. Clutching a pillow to my chest, I make a rash decision—I’m going to Scope’s hunting shack. I inhale Sean’s scent off the pillow and stand.

  Opening the motel door, I head to reception to see the obnoxious manager at the front desk.

  “What can I do fer ya?” he asks as I walk in without looking up.

  “I’m in room two eleven.”

  He looks up from his newspaper and scowls. “We don’t do refunds.”

  “I don’t want a fucking refund.”

  He drops his paper and stands. “Well, what do you want?”

  “I want you to do me a favor. I’m going out. If my friend or I don’t return by tomorrow morning, I want you to call this number.” I hand him a piece of paper with the Loyal Rebels MC phone number on it.

  “Why would I do that? I don’t know you.”

  Exasperated by the douchebag, I level my gaze at him and sigh. “I’ll pay you. Fifty dollars now and fifty if I come back.”

  “One hundred,” counters the sleazeball.

  I have money, but I don’t want to give it to this horse’s ass. Pulling out my purse, I open it, and with a sneer, I say, “Seventy now… seventy when I get back.”

  “Done!”

  Handing over the cash, the man puts it in his pocket and sits back down and begins to read his newspaper again. Frustrated with the dickwad, I pull the paper out of his hands.

  “What?” bellows the man.

  “Give me a piece of paper and a pen.” There’s a pad of paper to his left, so without standing, he hands it and a pen to me. “This is my name and my friend’s name,” I say as I write it down. “And underneath our names is the name of the man we went looking for with the address. If I’m not back by morning, you call this number. Is that clear?”

  With one lip turned up, he takes the pad off me. “That’s hill country. You sure you want to go alone?”

  “No, not really, but I don’t have much of a choice. Can I count on you?”

  “Honey, for seventy dollars, I’d sell my mother.”

  “Nice to know you’re such an upstanding citizen.”

  “Yeah, that’s me. Can I go back to my paper now?”

  I nod and stalk out of the office. With the lure of money, he might tell the others where we are. Unfortunately, he’s all I’ve got. I ste
p out onto the street and look around. Now, all I need is transportation. Being a small town, there are no car dealerships here. Frustrated, I turn back around and head into the office once more.

  “I need a car.”

  He folds down his paper and quirks an eyebrow at me. “So?”

  “Can I borrow your car?”

  He grins at me exposing rotted teeth. “Don’t own one.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “Nope, it’s a small town. No need, I walk everywhere.”

  I turn, putting my hand on the door to open it when he clears his throat, so I look back over my shoulder.

  “The waitress, Tamara… she has a car. She’s the old, skinny one.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Cost you an extra fifty for the information, or I don’t call the number.”

  Walking back to him, I lean over the counter. The asshole has a smug, arrogant look on his face.

  “Only if Tamara lends me her car will I pay you the extra fifty.” He nods and opens his disgusting mouth, further exposing more rotten teeth. “But did you notice the guys I came in with? Did you happen to read their cuts? They will come back here and fuck you up if you don’t alert them we didn’t come back.”

  He makes a tut-tutting noise and pulls his newspaper back up. I want so badly to rip it out of his hands and slap his face with it, but I reel it in and stride out to the restaurant.

  I fling open the door in my haste, and it makes a loud noise when it hits the front of the building. The waitress, Tamara, is wiping down a table, and she jumps. Her hand goes to her throat as she backs away from me. I keep walking toward her, and she holds up a hand warding me off.

  “I’m sorry! I had to!”

  Halting in my tracks, I cock my head to the side and take her in.

  What the fuck!

  Tamara looks terrified.

  Hardening my voice and ask, “What did you do?”

  “All I did was make a call. There was a man, and he said if anyone from the Loyal Rebels MC turned up, I was to ring him. He gave me one hundred dollars. That’s all I did.”

  “Norman Brittle asked you to call him?”

  “Norman? No, it was another guy.”

  Cursing, I place my hands on my hips. I nod my head while trying to decide what to do. Then an idea forms in my mind.