His Last Chance : Sons of Lost Souls MC Book Seven

by Ellie R. Hunter

  Stepping back, I grab hold of Nina’s arm and lead her into the living room.

  After my mom’s earlier visit, paranoia is rearing its ugly head.

  “This isn’t going to make you think twice about Mom’s offer to run with her, is it?”

  She’s only just started talking to me again. If she doesn’t feel safe in her own home, this could tip her over the edge, leading her toward this so-called light my mom’s running off to.

  “Are you going to run with her?” she asks flatly.

  “No.”

  “Then why would I?”

  Damn, I really don’t deserve her. Cupping my hand around the back of her neck, I pull her into me and claim her mouth. She’s been the one for me since I met her. I was such a fool to think I could live without her or our son.

  Lights flash through the window, and more bikes fill the street. My neighbours are going to complain for sure come morning, but I don’t give a shit. It’s not like I’m worried about falling out with them over it.

  “You go transfer his seat from your car to Harper’s, and I’ll bring him out when you’re done,” I tell her, pressing my lips to hers once more.

  She heads for the front door as I walk through to the kitchen, clutching Sebastian firmly to me.

  Leo comes up behind me, leaving JJ outside with the girls, and uses his finger to move the blanket away from his face.

  “He sleeps so much,” he says quietly. “India would’ve melted over him if she were here.”

  I nod, knowing she would have.

  Turning his attention to the intruder, and growls, “You’re lucky they’re unharmed.”

  “What does that mean? Can I go?”

  Leo snorts, shaking his head. “Like fuck. It means you won’t die a slow, painful death. Breaking and entering? It means a single bullet between your eyes. Don’t worry, though, sweetheart, we can shoot from the back if you don’t want to see it coming.”

  Leo’s ruthlessness has the guy pissing his pants, and I mean literally. Shit. I’m going to have to clean it up, ’cause I’ll be damned if I ask Nina to do it.

  “Fucking pussy,” Mason grunts as Myles laughs.

  “What did you think would happen if you got caught?” Leo asks him, genuinely wanting to know.

  When the intruder remains tight-lipped, Tal huffs, “Probably thinks he’s too good to get caught.”

  “Too bad, but shit happens. Come on, let’s get going. It’s been a long fucking night, and I need to sleep at some point.”

  Leo’s orders are final, and together, Mason and Myles haul the intruder up to his feet, careful of his piss-stained pants, and drag him out the back door. Tal follows behind, and Leo heads out the front. Nina appears in the doorway with her arms out.

  “The seat’s ready. His chair’s in the living room, at the end of the couch.”

  I grab it for her once she has the baby in her arms, and I lock up as we head out. The brothers wait as I sort the baby out, with the twins sitting on either side of the intruder in the back of Nina’s car.

  “I’ll ride right behind you. Don’t worry about anything.”

  “I’m not worried.”

  She leans up and kisses me before ducking into the back seat to sit next to Sebastian. I go to close the door for her when she says, “When we come home, you don’t have to sleep on the couch.”

  My smile turns into a grin, and for a beat, I’m not thinking of anything but her. Holding her, knowing she’s right where she belongs. And more importantly, where I belong.

  “I hear you, loud and fucking clear.”

  Closing the door, I walk over to my bike, and one by one, we bring them to life.

  Leo rides up front, while JJ rides between Tal and Harper, and I take the rear. Through the night, we ride fast and hard, Harper knowing to put her foot down, and we arrive at the club without any trouble.

  Leaving the twins to drag the intruder into the bar, I help Nina and Harper into the main house before I meet the guys inside, only to find three more intruders tied to chairs.

  Four of them sit there, gagged and bound, with Cas sitting opposite of them, his left ankle resting on his left knee with his arms crossed over his chest.

  “Who are the others?” I ask Pope, sitting next to him at the bar.

  “One got into Cas’s house, hence the blood pouring from his lip. One broke into Sparky’s house, and the other into Dex’s.”

  Dex’s house? He lives farthest out from the club. Remembering I have the intruder’s phone in my pocket, I dig it out and walk it over to Sparky.

  “Is this all he had on him?” I nod. “The only thing any of them had on them was a phone,” he tells me, scrolling through the it. “And they only have one contact saved. It’s the same number too. Look into it, yeah?”

  “No, Slade’s back. He can do it,” Cas interjects, not bothering to turn to us, keeping his eyes on these assholes instead.

  “All I’ve heard from these three are, they were sent to retrieve something we would recognise later,” Cas says, and the brothers quieten.

  They’re the same words my intruder spoke. “They don’t know who sent them, only received a call to tell them what to do. I say, if they’re no use to us, they need to be dealt with swiftly. Who disagrees?”

  Absolutely no one. The intruders collectively begin to squirm against their restraints.

  Cas stands, belting out, “Anyone want the honours?”

  Pope slips off his stool at the bar and calmly walks over, pulling his gun from his holster as he unlocks the safety. Cas smirks and steps back.

  “Say hi to the Devil for me. I’m feeling like shit these days, and I don’t reckon I’ll be too far behind you.”

  “What the fuck, Grumps?” Myles hollers, but he’s ignored.

  Unloading a bullet into the first intruder’s head, he sighs with satisfaction.

  Cas’s gaze roams over the group. “I warned everyone months ago, the Lost Souls aren’t taking any chances with anyone who comes for us. There are no second chances, and if people want to learn the hard way, so be it.”

  I step forward as Dad jogs down the stairs, ready to take my turn in putting a bullet in my intruder’s head. He came so close to my family, and I need to know he’s gone for good.

  His eyes bulge. His fear’s so strong, I reckon I could smell it if it had a scent.

  For the second time tonight, I aim my gun at his head. “You made it personal. This is on you.”

  Squeezing the trigger, the gun jolts in my hand as his head snaps back.

  “Zachery! What the fuck?” I hear Dad roar.

  “He broke into my house while my kid and Nina were sleeping.” That’s all the explanation he needs.

  Sparky and Dex take care of the last two, and with a prospect’s help, the twins get busy preparing to take them away.

  “Slade, take their phones and find out where the calls came from. There’s only one number to track,” Cas orders. Dad sighs, but gets on with his task. Grabbing a burner phone from a box behind the bar, Cas calls out for the number before Dad disappears.

  Rattling it off, Cas punches it into the phone and puts it on speaker before laying it on the bar.

  Apart from the soft movements from the dead bodies being hauled out, there’s not a sound as it starts to ring.

  Someone picks up just before voicemail can kick in, and a rough, deep voice hollers down the line.

  “Who the fuck’s this?” Cas asks, with his ability to sound unaffected when he really is.

  “I could ask you the same thing. Who’s this calling at such an ungodly hour?” the guy says, coughing after he’s spoken.

  He sounds old, and probably a smoker.

  “It’s games you want to play? How about I send you back your pawns, then?”

  A chesty laugh bursts through the speaker. Whoever he is, he knows his guys are dead, yet he doesn’t seem to care.

  “I’m too old for games. I fear I’ll be dead before we reach the end. I want a meet with you.
You can bring your brothers if it makes you feel safer. Noon tomorrow, at the diner in your piss pot town,” he directs, ending the call.

  Cas’s eyes narrow into slits as his hands grip tightly around the edges of the bar.

  “Safer? Who the fuck does this guy think he is?” Pope demands to know.

  “We’ll all go. Not because it’s safer, but because we’re going to show this asshole who he’s dealing with.”

  I figure this guy already knows who he’s dealing with, but I keep my mouth shut and watch the remaining prospect bring out a bucket of hot water and bleach.

  “Have you checked in on your mother?” Dad asks, coming up beside me.

  Shit.

  I didn’t even think.

  Pulling out my phone, I call her, but she doesn’t pick up. Trying again, she answers just as I’m about to hang up, again, sounding wide awake.

  “You good, Mom?” I ask, not sure how to explain this call.

  “I’m cleaning the kitchen at three in the morning. I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m good.” She goes quiet and asks, “Why are you up at this hour? Is Sebastian okay?”

  Good. I can play this angle.

  “He’s fine. He wouldn’t stop crying, but he has now that I’m on the phone with you. I was just calling to ask what we should do.”

  “He’s probably just got some wind.,”

  Realizing I need to end the call before she hears the brothers talking in the background, I quickly agree.

  “Yeah, probably. I’ll stop by tomorrow and check in. We need to talk about this offer of yours.”

  “Sure.”

  “Bye, Mom.”

  “Bye.”

  Shoving the phone in my pocket, I nod to Dad. “She’s fine… she’s cleaning the kitchen.”

  “She won’t be happy if she finds out you just lied to her.”

  “At this point, I don’t care.”

  I slap him on the back as I head over to the main house. The old ladies are all awake, moving around like it’s the middle of the day, apart from Nina.

  “Where is she?” I ask Harper.

  “Upstairs in one of the rooms.”

  I climb the stairs and find her in the back room, lying on the bed, stroking Sebastian’s cheek as he sleeps.

  “One day, he’s going to have to wake up,” I joke lightly, making her smile.

  “I hate to say this about our own son, but he’s a little boring, isn’t he?” she chuckles. “I carried him around for months, kicking and moving around all hours of the day and night, and now look at him. All he does is sleep.”

  I kick my boots off and shrug out of my cut, laying it across the back of a chair. Climbing onto the bed, I lay on my side, mimicking Nina’s posture and reach for her hand, holding it above the boy’s head.

  “Is everything sorted? I heard gunshots.”

  I take a deep breath. “There were three others who broke into Cas, JJ, and Dex’s houses too. They’re gone now.”

  “Did they say who’s doing this to the club?”

  “No. But Cas spoke to the guy, and we’re having a meet tomorrow. Can you and the baby stay here until we know what’s going on?”

  “Sure.”

  Sebastian starts to whimper, but he doesn’t wake.

  “What did you first think when you heard my mom’s offer?”

  She doesn’t hesitate to answer. “I thought you wouldn’t leave, and I wouldn’t go without you.”

  And I believe her.

  “I understand why your mom wants to leave, but I don’t think the same as her. You don’t have to worry.”

  She squeezes my hand, giving me a reassuring smile, followed by a yawn. “Where you are, we are.”

  “Go to sleep, and I’ll watch over him I’m not tired.”

  She doesn’t need to be told twice and closes her eyes—out within a minute. There’s always a point in your life where you vow to kill to protect the ones you love, and there’s a point when you have to follow through. There’ll never be a time when I don’t pull the trigger to keep my family safe.

  Slade

  I don’t know why I bother lying in bed. I mean, it’s not like I sleep anymore. There’s the odd hour or two here and there, but that’s all I get nowadays. The sun’s beginning to rise, but the darkness has no hold over me. Between the events that took place down in the bar a few hours ago, and the divorce papers screaming at me from where they lay on the dresser, nothing can get to me in the night. At least I know Kristen isn’t sleeping either. She’s probably moved on to cleaning the bathroom by now. My heart’s tearing apart, and the anger I have toward her still can’t quite overpower my love for her. I walked out because it was the right thing to do, for the both of us, but there’s still so much to be said.

  Kicking off the sheets, I drag my jeans on and head down to the bar. Not one brother or prospect is around as I head for Cas’s office. I’d usually give a quick knock before entering, but as the door has strangely been left open with no one inside, I take a seat at his desk. Opening the drawers, I look for what I need. Placing a piece of paper down on the desktop, I pick up a pen.

  We’ve gotten to the point where talking doesn’t help, but if she leaves without hearing what I have to say, she’ll never know.

  My dearest Kris,

  Do you remember when we first met? I do. You were sitting in the same office I’m writing you this letter in, and I knew from the very moment I laid my eyes on you, you were something special. I couldn’t stay away from you. Every second I spent with you and Zachery, I knew we were meant to meet. I knew this because it was the first time I felt I had a purpose in this life. You were so beautiful. I realized from that day, I’d need you till the day I died. I thought my life couldn’t get better, and then we had our baby girl. My heart swelled so big, I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I had my own family—my boy, my princess, and I had you. My favourite time of day was always coming home to you guys. We’ve had to fight over the years, and there hasn’t been anyone I wouldn’t kill to keep you safe. I’ve done things most would have nightmares about, all for you and my children. You always thought I did it for the club, but what you could never believe was that I did it for you first. You always came first.

  Only, I failed with India. I didn’t keep her safe, and she paid the ultimate price. I’ve spent months in agony, and I deserved to, but all I wanted was for you to hold me, and I hold you back. We could’ve cried and mourned together. I always believed we could get through anything. Half of me knows I’ve failed you, and wants to fight for you to stay. To have you love me again and tell me everything will be okay in the end. Yet, the other half of me is angry with you. You mourn our daughter as if she were yours alone to grieve. You look at me and blame me for letting it happen, and you threw it in my face that Zachery isn’t mine biologically when that’s the only part of me and my boy that’s missing. He is my son. Maybe not by blood, but he’s my boy down to the bone.

  Every day I’m still breathing is a day I blame myself for India, but I sure as shit blame you too, because you didn’t save her either. When I started writing this letter, I wasn’t sure of what I wanted to say, with so much being left unsaid between us. But now, I’ve come to the point where I have to say goodbye to you. Things have been said that can never be taken back and never forgotten. We’ve both hurt each other instead of being there for one another, yet I’ve asked myself, how do you say goodbye to the love of your life? I understand you can’t be here anymore, and some part of me even understands why you can’t be around me. What we lost was far too great to come back from. I hope one day we can be together again, and you will let me hold you. But if that day never comes, I want you to know, there’ll never be a day I’m not thinking of you, and most importantly, loving you.

  * * *

  I’m sorry, darling. I’m sorry I wasn’t enough for you when you needed me the most.

  Slade.

  I drop the pen on the desktop and read through the letter. It still doesn’t feel li
ke enough, but how many times, how many different ways can tell someone you’re sorry?

  Folding the paper in half, I root through the desk drawers for an envelope, finding one in the bottom. Scribbling Kris’s name across the front, I slide the folded paper inside and lick it closed.

  What a fucking life.

  Pushing up out of the chair, I take it with me and head for the bar. While everyone sleeps, it’s all too tempting to help myself to the booze and get fucked-up, but I carry on to the door and burst outside, needing a shit ton of air. Grief is suffocating, and no amount of it ever helps.

  Movement by the gates catches my eye. Squinting to get a better look, my blood runs cold.

  Inhaling deeply, I exhale slowly, remembering what I have to do. For the first time in my life, I head toward a fed of my own accord.

  “Surely you don’t get paid enough to creep about this early in the day?” I holler.

  The prick has the audacity to smirk.

  “You’re a hard man to pin down, Mr. McCarthy. It’s almost like you don’t want to talk to me.”

  Refraining from my rolling my eyes, I say, “There’s nothing we need to discuss.”

  “Oh, but there is.”

  Getting fed up with this, I grunt, “Talk, then.”

  “On your daughter’s death certificate, it says she was killed in a car accident.”

  “And?”

  “And there’s no record of a car accident down at the police station.”

  I stand stoic, completely at ease, but on the inside, I’m anything but. It’s killing me to hear him talk about my daughter, and it’s even worse having to stick around and listen to see what the fuck he wants.

  “I spent quite a long time down at the town hall, and the amount of car accidents people in this town die in is extraordinary. Especially since a good ninety-eight percent have been associated with your club. You’d think for a bunch of bikers, you’d be more in control on the road.”

  “Shit happens,” I say with a shrug. “What is it you want to know from me?”

  “I want to know what I’d find if I had everybody excavated who’s died in the last twenty years connected with the Lost Souls, of course.”