His Ride or Die : Sons of Lost Souls MC Book Three

by Ellie R. Hunter

  I don’t move and take another hit on my blunt. When he sees me, he drops the phone from his ear and struts towards me.

  “How many more times are you going to walk out when we’re trying to get through this mess?” he bellows.

  “Careful, father. We wouldn’t want everyone to hear our business, mom wouldn’t like that, would she?”

  “What she doesn’t like is her son not talking to her.”

  “Her son, not yours,” I sneer, rising to my feet.

  I come nose to nose with the man who raised me, and he doesn’t flinch, nor do I when he raises his hand and slaps it on my shoulder.

  “I’m this close to punching you, and if you weren’t my son, I would.”

  “Go ahead, hit me.”

  His left eye twitches, he wants to, he wants to strike out and punch me.

  “Do it,” I urge him and he’s the first one to back off.

  “If you keep doing this, you’re going to push everyone away. Is that what you want?”

  “What I want is for everyone to stop lying to me and to leave me the hell alone,” I roar, losing all patience.

  Pushing past him, I leave the situation myself and ignore his pleas to sort this out. It’s funny, I wasn’t the one who caused this and now I ask for time so I can process the lies and new information, they won’t give it to me.

  “It’ll all work out, you’ll see,” he yells after me.

  Will it though? Will anything work out and bring back what used to be?

  Nina

  I was so tired when I got home, I fell into bed fully clothed, minus my shoes. I was hoping to get back at the same time as Zachery, but he was still riding back when he last text.

  I stretch out and realise I’m not alone. Such warmth assaults me from behind and after a few more seconds I feel his strong arm wrapped around my waist keeping me to him.

  This is what I want every morning. Waking up to him and him holding me. It’s not just about feeling secure with him, it’s the emotions he erupts inside with a simple move as a cuddle while he sleeps.

  Content, I inhale going to sigh with happiness when the scent in the air shifts and it hits me something isn’t right.

  First off, the cologne isn’t faint, it’s been freshly applied, and Zachery isn’t the type to wash up when he gets in late.

  This cologne filling my bedroom is light and fresh. Zach’s scent is heavy and dark and mixed with the cigarettes he thinks he’s hiding from me.

  My heart thumps in my chest and I freeze. The arm around my waist tightens and Vincent, or rather, Andrew climbs over me and straddles my waist. He doesn’t have to hold me down, I can’t move anyway. I’m frozen. Every limb is sinking into the mattress.

  “How long have you been here?”

  My voice shakes as I speak, and I hate that it does. Such weakness.

  “I’ve always been here,” he tells me as if I’m stupid. “After I’ve explained a few things, we’re going to go for breakfast.”

  I don’t think so, is he out of his damn mind? Yet, my fear has me nodding my head and agreeing with him. Everything I’ve said about not being scared of this man, I’ve been wrong. There is nothing behind his eyes, it’s frightening.

  “You’re going to shower, and wear your hair down, I like it down. You’re going to wear the pretty, yellow sundress I brought for you.” Said dress is hanging on the back of the door and is ugly as hell. “You’re going to pack a case and come willingly to me. We’ll stop at the diner for breakfast so everyone can see you’re mine. Okay?”

  He’s asking me, but I don’t have a choice. There’s a taught thread keeping him in check, I can see it in his tight set jaw and the atmosphere is thickening with tension.

  If I play along until we’re in the diner, I can get away from him when I have witnesses and people around to help. What could he possibly do in front of Hank’s customers?

  Climbing off me, I lay motionless as he walks over to the ugly ass dress and runs his fingers down the material.

  “You’re going to look so pretty wearing this,” he murmurs, and I cringe.

  I cringe because he brought the dress thinking I’ll look good in it and I cringe because this is his fantasy.

  He opens the door and disappears across the hall to the bathroom. The water starts and as if my body is on autopilot, I fly out of bed and throw open the window. Leaning my head, it’s too far down to jump. For the first time in history not one resident of the street is walking their little yappers. No one is around for me to scream at for help.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  Leaning back in, I spin around and he’s in the doorway. He isn’t happy and the need to play him comes through strong.

  “I’m not going anywhere, where would I go from here? I was just getting some air. It’s hot this morning, isn’t it?”

  I tone down the mania in my tone and hope he didn’t catch onto it. Narrowing his eyes, he stares me down for longer than I’m comfortable with and then steps back into the hall.

  “Your shower is ready for you, I’ve put out your body wash and shampoo, and I’ve laid out fresh towels.”

  Oh my god, he’s suffocating. He’s not giving me any room to think, let alone make an escape.

  My feet are carrying me across the room, but my heart is racing out of town searching for Zach. I swear I hear him inhale when I pass him and once I cross the threshold into the bathroom, I turn to lock the lock door when his foot appears near mine and blocks the door from shutting.

  “No-no, sweet angel. There will be no locks between us, ever.”

  I step back as he steps towards me, until my ass hits the sink and I have no where else to back up to.

  “Get in the shower, baby.”

  “I can’t with you in here, that’s absurd,” I shriek, not believing this is actually happening.

  “Sorry, angel, we’ve lived long enough with something blocking us. From today, we are together, and nothing is going to get in our way.”

  I turn to stone the moment he puts his hands on my top straps and slides them off my shoulders and down my arms. I was so wrong when I fronted up and told anyone who would listen that I wasn’t scared anymore, I’m fucking petrified.

  “It’s like you were made just for me,” he whispers softly as he undresses me.

  If he goes further, I think I’ll die.

  “When I first saw you, I knew I’d love what you hid with your clothes. Go on, step under the water. I’ll go and pack you a bag.”

  The window is too small, and he wedges the door open, thankfully he hasn’t taken the shower curtain down so I still have some form of privacy.

  It takes a beat for my body to move and then I step under the water. It’s not too hot and it’s not cold at all, it’s just right.

  I pick up the body wash and it’s not my usual one. This one is strawberry scented, and it smells like sick when it foams in my hands. This is how he wants me to smell and it’s going to haunt me forever.

  I work quickly and smoothly and by the time I step out and wrap up in the biggest towel in the house, Andrew is leaning against the doorframe.

  “When we’re at home, you can take more time in the bathroom, you deserve to be pampered.”

  “I thought I was perfection?” I snap, his voice grating on me like nails on a chalkboard.

  “Oh, you are, my little cupcake.”

  I physically have to force myself not to react to all these pet names he keeps throwing at me.

  Cupcake?

  Sweet angel?

  They send a shiver down my spine.

  He holds out his hand, such a mannerism that Zach does when we’re together that it hits me that he’s probably watched him doing it. Using one hand to keep my towel firmly in place, I take his hand and he leads me into the bedroom.

  I didn’t see him reach for a towel but from out of nowhere, he starts rubbing me down and is drying me off.

  In the next moment, he is slipping clean panties on and then dro
pping the sundress over my head, the material scratches against my skin and I can’t wait till I can rip it off and burn it.

  “Sit down.”

  Where?

  There isn’t a chair in here, but then he guides me to the bed and sits behind me. He pulls my hair out of the tie and picks up the soft bristle brush from the nightstand.

  He drags the brush softly through my hair, over and over, until it is knot free and silky and smooth. The smoothest it’s been since I was a child and my mom would sit for hours and brush away.

  He sets the brush down and reaches over for my favourite bottle of perfume. Tenderly, he picks up each of my wrists, he sprays two spritzes on each arm and then rubs them together for me.

  The bed springs up when he gets up and places the perfume back on the dresser. When he turns to me, I’m ready to go minus my shoes. He quickly remedies that and slides over my only pair of wedges that my mom brought me shortly before I left town. I’m surprised they still fit when I slide into them.

  He nods, satisfied, while giving me the once over and bends his arm for me. I’m expected to slide mine through his and walk with him and that’s what I do.

  “Do you remember the first time we spoke?” he asks as we walk through the house.

  “No.”

  “You were working on the cake stall at a fate at the church, I honestly thought you were one of God’s angels. Your beauty took my breath away, I just knew we were meant to be together.”

  He leans forward to open the front door and my hearts thuds angrily in my chest.

  “Shall we?”

  It’s never hurt so much to force a smile across my face. I hope he doesn’t go back down memory lane.

  “Oh, and you’re going to call your boyfriend and tell him not to come around here anymore.”

  I am counting down the minutes till we get to Hanks, because I will never ever tell Zachery that.

  Zachery

  When I look back on this day, it’ll be the day my life changed forever.

  The run lasted longer than I anticipated, and my phone died so I couldn’t text Nina to arrange to meet up with her, I’m anxious. I knew I’d miss her, but I didn’t understand the depth of how much it would gut me, and fuck, it leaves me with fucking anxiety.

  Dad rides up front as Sparky diverted to the hospital with Cas, we ride through town and one by one, we slow until we come to a full stop.

  Ellis has his brothers lined across the road, blocking our way, and he himself stands centre with his arms crossed over his chest, leaning against his bike. So fucking arrogant.

  I stay close to dad and grip hard on the throttle before swinging my leg over and climbing off. Standing next to my dad, everything that has gone on between us is now forgotten.

  “I don’t see Leo with you, is he hiding from me like the little bitch that he is?”

  “Leo is no concern of yours, don’t you worry where he is,” Dad calls out.

  The atmosphere is thick with tension you’d think we were all in a small room, not outside in the open.

  “I’m not worried, I’m patient, although my Harper is testing my limits. I’m not stupid, I know you got her out of town. If you think I won’t find her, you’re not as astute as I once thought you were.”

  How could he possibly know Harper is out of town? He hasn’t seen Leo either and yet he doesn’t think he has left.

  “I will find her,” he promises.

  The guy is crazy, he should be locked away in the depths of hell with Andrew for company.

  Dad walks closer to him and away from us. I keep up step for step and Ellis tracks our every move.

  “What do you plan on doing?” he smirks, wanting to know.

  “What you did to my niece, you deserve everything coming to you.”

  “Is that so?” he questions and shakes his head mocking us. “You aren’t going to do anything today, not here and not to me. I know your old lady owns that store, she’s currently eating her lunch with one of my brothers. I know Ricky’s daughter is at school with the boys watching her ass sway down the halls.” Then he looks at me and his grin is dirt. “And I know the girl you’ve been banging is currently having breakfast with a guy that isn’t you and they look very comfy together. I have it on good authority they even shared a sweet kiss. So please, give me a reason to start shooting, I don’t care if the bullets fly for you or your women.”

  I’m not sure if I freeze or if it’s my blood running so cold I could freeze. Nina isn’t having breakfast with anyone, she wouldn’t gut me like that with another guy.

  Instead of stepping back, dad steps forward and so do the rest of us.

  “I want Harper back and I want Leo. To show how serious I am and how much I don’t give a shit, I will kill one of you now.”

  In the blink of an eye, he has raised his gun and dad is falling to the ground. I didn’t see him squeeze the trigger. He isn’t one to make threats and then shit gets loud.

  “Fuck,” he roars, and chaos breaks free.

  Lost Souls crash forward, and Black Crows fight back. I drop to my knees and dad has been shot in the leg.

  “This shit still fucking hurts,” he grunts, pressing down on the wound. “Go and find your girl, you know as well as I do, the girl loves you and the guy is Andrew. She isn’t safe.”

  “What about you?”

  Ellis is nowhere to be seen apart from his bike riding off out of town in the distance.

  Lost Souls are dominating the fight and cops sirens are becoming louder the closer they get.

  “I’ll be fine, this isn’t my first shooting in the leg. I’ll survive. Go.”

  I’m on my feet and running for the diner, leaving the fight behind me. My brothers are more than capable of handling their own and the last thing I see is dad being helped into the prospects van.

  Flying through the door, it slams shut behind me and I stop dead before crashing into one of the tables.

  I can’t believe my fucking eyes.

  Andrew is sat beside her in the corner booth and is way too fucking close for my liking.

  And what is she wearing?

  The dress is bright yellow and fucking hideous. I know this isn’t from her wardrobe, she’d hate this style. I know she would.

  Her hair is down, another style I haven’t seen on her.

  Both their eyes meet mine and while hers are mixed with relief and sadness, his are filled with arrogance and own an air of winning having her so close to him.

  I warned him what would happen if he went near her again and now he’s going to feel the threat I made.

  I force myself to move and I cross the diner and stand before their table. I haven’t realised how quickly I’ve come to know Nina and her ways.

  Her shoulders are tightly set, and her chin is far too high. She’s normally more relaxed. Her eyes widen, and I get that she’s screaming something at me, I try to play along when I ask, “What’s going on here then?” and I have no idea if I’m playing it right. I don’t make eye contact with Andrew for fear of climbing over the table and strangling him in front of everyone in the diner.

  “Nina, baby. Tell this brute our news?”

  Baby?

  Brute?

  News?

  I cannot wait to kill this fucking lunatic. He is far more delusional than I thought. I should never have left her alone with him in town and still alive. He’s too far gone to rationalise with. I fucking knew this and I still left town and her here alone. If anything happens to her, it’s my fault.

  “Tell him,” he urges, and she jumps at something he does to her side. “Tell him how we’re together now, and he’s to leave you alone.”

  For a brief moment, I think she’s going to, not that I would believe her but then she says, “I woke up and he was in my bed. He made me shower in front of him and wear this ridiculous dress. He did my hair and made me pack a bag to move into his house, and now he’s going to hurt me.”

  Her rapid words tumble from her mouth and I’m slowly, p
ainfully dying. Like fuck is he going to hurt her in front of me.

  Averting my eyes to Andrew this time, he’s holding the one thing he shouldn’t be over me and he knows it.

  “What happened to you staying away from her?”

  “She loves me, we shouldn’t be kept apart.”

  He’s off his fucking head.

  “I’m going to rip you apart if you don’t take your hand off her,” I warn him, low and coldly.

  “Angel, tell him to leave us now so we can eat our breakfast,” he slimily orders her.

  She looks up at me and smiles softly. I don’t get it, there’s nothing to smile about at this point.

  “Please forgive me,” she murmurs and before I can ask what I would be forgiving she’s continuing to talk.

  “Don’t leave us alone, I want you and only you, I have done since I stopped at the roadside when your bike broke down. I kept choosing the wrong guys, but you’re the first one I got right. I love you and I…” Her pause throws me off and then she gulps and frowns. “Every time, I choose you. Always.”

  “I…”

  There’s nothing to be said, Andrew pushes her out of the booth and then I see it. To my horror, there is a knife sticking out of her side. Blood trickles down from the corner of her mouth and I stand there like a fucking cunt doing nothing as Andrew makes off leaving the supposed love of his life on the floor.

  For a second time today, I drop to my knees and this time, I don’t go anywhere. Andrew can run as far he can get, there is no place he can hide, there is no distance he can cross that I won’t catch him.

  I daren’t touch her, I daren’t do anything until she chokes on her blood.

  “I didn’t want to fear him, but I did. I was so scared.”

  “Is that what you wanted me to forgive you for?”

  “No,” she says wistfully. “I knew he had the knife and he would use it. I didn’t want to die, and have you hate me.”

  “You’re not dying, and I don’t hate you, I never could, I love you.”

  The creases in her frown smooth out and her face lights up, until it’s covered with pain again.