Resurrection (The Lone Riders MC Series Book 3)

by Betham, Michelle

  ‘Just who the hell do you think your boyfriend is, Mia? Huh? He’s a man who’s done things beyond fucking comprehension in the name of, what? Power? Territory? Believing one fucked-up lie over another? He grew up in a world even darker than ours, sweetheart, so I think he can look after himself.’

  ‘His father wants him dead.’

  ‘And Ben’s not so keen on his father living much longer either. It’s a stand-off no one else should get involved in.’

  ‘He said you had his back.’

  ‘And we do. Believe me, darlin’, we do, but whatever family crap he’s got going on, that isn’t our main concern. We need him to find out what’s going on with Shane before something kicks off here that puts my girl in danger…’

  ‘The girl you were quite willing to fuck around on? With me? Is that the girl you’re talking about?’

  Coby’s stare once more turned dark, his fingers tightening around her wrist. ‘Don’t push this, Mia. I’m fucking warning you, darlin’…’

  She tried to free her arm from his grip but he was holding her too tight. ‘Let me go.’

  ‘Y’know, I’m starting to get a touch concerned about that mouth of yours, sweetheart.’

  Her stare was defiant, her voice low and steady, a slight smirk on her face as she spoke. ‘You scared, huh? Scared I’m gonna go tell my sister that your dick aches to fuck me?’

  His hold on her verged on painful now, but she wasn’t backing down. She was angry and scared and she needed someone to blame. She needed someone to take all her frustration out on, and he was there, right in front of her.

  ‘You try that, and I will hurt you, Mia, so don’t fucking push me.’

  ‘Threats? Really? You’re gonna stand there and threaten a woman? You not remember what I did to the last bastard who tried that with me?’

  Their eyes stayed locked for a few loaded beats, and Mia could feel her heart racing, adrenaline coursing through her veins at a speed that was making her dizzy.

  ‘I blame you, Coby. For all the fucking shit I’m going through, I blame you.’

  He looked at her, right at her, staring deep into her soul, another short, hollow laugh escaping before he pulled her against him, his mouth crashing down on to hers so hard she actually let out a small cry of pain. But then she was in his arms, aware of his fingers trying desperately to push her panties to one side and she did nothing to stop him. It was almost like that kiss had sent a torrent of calm flooding through her and she stopped fighting him; gave into him, burying her face in his shoulder, breathing in that smell of stale smoke and engine oil as he plunged his fingers inside her. Jesus! She was wet. She was fucking wet! This was turning her on! All that anger had led to this? But she couldn’t stop him. She couldn’t, because it felt good – like he’d reached inside her and was slowly ridding her of all that anger and frustration, pulling it out of her with every thrust of his fingers. And then she was coming, her face buried in his shoulder to muffle the moans, her nails digging into his skin as he continued to thrust, waiting until the last shudder had escaped her body before he pulled out of her. And that was when reality raced back to confront her, the shock of what she’d let happen mingling with the fact she’d enjoyed every fucked-up second of what he’d done. The slap she gave him was almost a reflex action, hitting his face so hard she felt her forearm vibrate, her palm stinging with the force.

  And he took it, the corner of his mouth twisting up into a smile as he gently placed his hand over his cheek, a low chuckle escaping before his arm snaked back around her waist, but she was ready this time. She was ready.

  ‘You’re right, darlin’.’ His voice was a low, deep growl, his mouth close to her ear and she shivered as she tried to disentangle herself from his grip. ‘My dick does ache to fuck you.’

  ‘Too bad, soldier. Because it isn’t gonna get the chance.’

  He chuckled again, stroking her cheek with his fingers and she could smell herself on him, something so messed-up it was exciting, turning her on again as he pressed himself against her. She could feel his hard-on digging into her thigh, straining to get out, but it wasn’t happening. She’d already stepped over a line she should never have crossed, and that was enough. That had been a mistake. She wasn’t making another one. ‘You think you can just walk away now, Mia?’

  She took hold of his wrist, pulling his hand away from her face. ‘I know I can.’

  She made to go, but once again he grabbed her arm, more gently this time – his grip lighter. ‘Keep it shut, Mia. That mouth of yours, don’t let it run away with you.’

  She stared at him for a few, long seconds. Her head was spinning, and she didn’t really know what was happening here. But it hadn’t gone quite the way she’d expected it to. ‘I love him, Coby. And I am so fucking scared that I won’t see him again.’

  He let go of her, satisfied she was calmer now. ‘He can do this, Mia. You have to believe that.’

  ‘I can’t sleep,’ she whispered, absent-mindedly wrapping her arms around herself, another, altogether different shiver racking her body now. ‘I can’t eat, because all I can think about is him; what he’s doing, what’s happening… and I can’t see him. I can’t talk to him, and I don’t know how long this is gonna go on.’ Her eyes once more fell on his, but she was met with a kindness this time, the sudden change of mood confusing. ‘How am I supposed to get through this, Coby?’

  ‘Find a distraction.’

  The stare between them intensified. ‘You?’

  ‘I could do with one, too.’

  ‘I’m not gonna hurt my sister.’

  ‘She doesn’t need to know.’

  ‘But I’d know. You’d know. And it’s wrong.’

  ‘It’s sex.’

  ‘We’ve already crossed a line, Coby.’

  ‘Then what’s the point in backtracking?’

  ‘That’s such a narrow view.’

  He took a couple of steps towards her, and she took one step back, because she was still confused. She’d come here full of hell, determined to let this man know how she felt and yet here they were; she’d let him finger-fuck her, and now they were talking about sex and distractions and all she wanted was Ben. But she couldn’t have him. She needed her biker boy. But he wasn’t here. Coby was. Was she really that weak?

  ‘After everything you and Lexi went through, how can you even think about…?’ She broke off, her eyes dipping to the floor. ‘What we did just now, that was bad enough.’ She raised her gaze, their eyes meeting. ‘I can’t do it to her, Coby. And I can’t do it to Ben.’

  He shrugged, leaning back against the wall, taking a cigarette out of his pocket and lighting up. ‘You’re a good girl, huh?’

  She looked at him, watching as he blew smoke up into the air, a slight smirk on his face. ‘Don’t play games, Coby. Please.’

  ‘I’m not playing games, Mia, I already told you that. You came here, full of hell, angry and ready to do just what you’re now telling me you couldn’t ever do… and now you’re calm. You’re rational. And I did that, remember?’ He moved a little closer, his mouth almost touching hers as he spoke, his voice deep and husky. ‘I guess I’m just good at what I do, huh?’

  She smiled a slow smile, reaching out to touch his rough chin. ‘If I took my panties off, right here, right now and sat on that desk; if I spread my legs as wide as I could and invited you inside, you’d really betray my sister? For a fast fuck?’

  She felt his low groan seep right through into her. ‘Jesus, Mia, you’re one beautiful frigging prick-tease, darlin’.’

  ‘Then I guess I’m just good at what I do, too.’

  She walked towards the door without turning back. She’d dodged a bullet there. But only just.

  ***

  ‘I… how?’ Ben didn’t know what to think. Was he even hearing this right? Sol knew he hadn’t killed Marianna? How long had he known? How had he found out? What the hell was going on here because, as far as Ben was concerned, this had thrown him. Big time.
/>   ‘I’m not a stupid man, Ben. I knew what was going on with Marianna and Dad. I knew all along.’

  Ben sat down, his head dropping into his hands as he tried to take in just what was happening here.

  He felt Sol sit down beside him, felt him gently squeeze his shoulder and he slowly looked up. ‘I don’t understand. I don’t understand any of this. If you knew, then why…? Shit! Why the fuck did you let him get away with it, huh? Why’d you let me take all that crap…? He almost had me killed!’

  ‘You were never gonna die, Ben.’

  ‘Wasn’t I? Were you under that fucking truck?’

  ‘I was driving it.’

  Ben stared at his brother, any words he’d been going to say next stuck momentarily in his throat. ‘Jesus… this is so fucked-up…’ He stood up, pacing the floor, not knowing what to say, what to do; what to feel. How the hell was he supposed to process this?

  ‘I had to let him think he was in control.’

  Ben turned back to look at Sol, but said nothing in reply. He was still trying to get his head around the fact this wasn’t some kind of messed-up dream.

  ‘Everyone knows the truth, Ben. All the brothers. They know what really happened.’

  Ben frowned, but still he said nothing.

  ‘For years, for too long I’ve known that Dad was running this club into the ground, just as you did. He’d lost focus, started taking risks that were greater than he could handle – Marianna was one of those risks.’ Sol bowed his head for a second, and Ben watched as he took a deep breath before looking back up. ‘We’d been going through a rough time. It happens. She’d just told me she was pregnant, but she was distant. She refused to touch me, didn’t want me sleeping in the same bed as her and I knew, I fucking knew she was seeing someone else. I didn’t know if the baby was mine or not, I had no idea, but I knew there was a chance it wasn’t. Because I knew the kind of girl she was – remember when she first started hanging out here? She was fascinated by Dad, by the power he had. But he showed no interest in her, she was way too young for him back then. So I guess I was second best. Can’t have the main man, try his son instead.’

  ‘Jesus, Sol…’ Ben sighed, finally finding his voice.

  They both sat down again, and it was only then that Ben noticed the clubhouse had all but cleared of people, all the other brothers giving them the space they needed right now. And people said the Dark Angels didn’t have feelings? The thought of compassion and empathy having anything to do with this place almost made Ben laugh out loud.

  ‘She never lost that fascination, did she.’ It wasn’t a question, so Ben didn’t respond. ‘So I knew what was going on. And I was ready, y’know? To deal with it. To sort the whole fucking mess out, but that night… it happened before I could even begin to do what needed to be done.’

  ‘Shit!’ Ben sat back, closing his eyes briefly to let Sol’s words sink in. What kind of fucking mess had gone on around here? ‘I caught them, together, that night,’ Ben started, opening his eyes and staring out ahead. ‘Everyone else was at the club, for Hangdog’s party, but I’d left something behind in the clubhouse – I can’t even remember what the fuck it was now, I just remember thinking that I needed it. So I came back here, and I found them. Together. In the chapel.’

  Sol bowed his head, clasping his hands together between his knees.

  ‘Why didn’t you talk to me?’ Ben asked, finally looking at his brother. But Sol kept his gaze down on the floor. ‘If you felt that way, if you knew I felt that way, why didn’t you just talk to me? What the hell was wrong with us back then? Were we really so fucking fragmented that we couldn’t see we both wanted the same thing?’

  ‘I don’t know…’ Sol sighed, ‘in hindsight…’ He broke off. It was pointless even going there. It wasn’t going to change anything.

  ‘Why didn’t you stop him?’ Ben continued. ‘When he wanted me dead, when he exiled me out of the town I grew up in, made me change my whole fucking life, why didn’t you stop him?’

  Sol’s eyes met his brother’s, his stare only just verging on cold. ‘I needed to keep him on side, Ben. If I stood any chance of bringing him down I had to keep him on side.’

  ‘He wanted to kill me, get me out of the way so his sick, sordid betrayal could remain a secret. He fucking wanted me dead! His own fucking son! He wanted me dead, to cover his own fucking tracks! What kind of a father does that, huh? Even for Hector Almeda that was fucking low…’

  ‘It was never gonna happen.’ Sol’s voice was calm as he tried to explain something that, right now, defied explanation. ‘That’s why I insisted I drive that truck, and he was never gonna stop me. I was the wounded brother, the man who’d been done wrong so I was the perfect choice. But I knew you were innocent. So I was never gonna do what he wanted.’

  ‘But you were quite happy to see me chased out of town.’

  Sol stood up, sighing again, a little heavier this time, pushing both hands back and forth through his hair. ‘It turned into one huge fucking mess, bro. I can’t deny that. But you seemed happy, y’know?’

  ‘You know?’

  ‘I had people watching you. Over in L.A. I wanted to make sure you were doing OK, because you didn’t deserve the shit you were put through…’

  ‘No, I fucking didn’t.’ His voice had risen, and he took a deep breath, determined to stay in control here. He had to stay in control. The game had suddenly changed, and he was going to have to play it differently now. ‘I didn’t deserve any of it. You should’ve got to me, talked to me; we could’ve brought the bastard down, together, years ago, and saved ourselves all of this…’

  ‘I think he had suspicions, Ben.’

  Ben looked at his brother through narrowed eyes. ‘About you knowing the truth?’

  Sol nodded. ‘About everything. So I had to take a step back, let him think he was wrong, that I knew nothing. I had to let him think he was in control. It was the only way. And you were doing better away from here, you really were…’

  ‘You have no idea what the fuck I was feeling, Sol. No idea.’

  ‘I’m sorry, Ben, I really am. For everything, but, you coming back here… the second you set foot back in Paradise I knew it was time to put the game back in play.’

  ‘I’ve been here five years. Why wait until now to start?’

  Sol shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I can’t answer that. But the second I heard Michael and Dad talking, about getting you back here, Dad wanting to see you…’ He fixed his younger brother with a warning look. ‘You can’t trust Sheriff Bailey no more, Ben. You hear me? You can’t trust him.’

  ‘He sorted my life out after you’d helped fuck it up.’

  ‘You can’t trust him.’

  Ben’s eyes narrowed again. ‘And what makes you think I can trust you, huh?’

  ‘I’m family.’

  ‘So’s Dad. And he didn’t think twice about framing me for something I didn’t do. He was quite happy to see me dead to cover his own fucking ass.’

  ‘He killed my wife. And he lied to my face. He wanted me to hate you, to turn against you, and pretending to do that – that killed me, Ben. I really need you to believe me here. It fucking killed me, but I had to do it.’

  ‘This is crazy. This is fucking crazy!’ Ben turned away, once more pacing the floor.

  ‘I need you with me now, brother. More than ever.’

  Ben turned back around. ‘You’re not gonna start telling me you want to turn this place into some kind of monastery, are you? Turn the Dark Angels good. Sol Almeda gone soft all of a sudden?’ He walked back over to his brother. ‘This club is one of the most notorious MCs in the fucking country, Sol, and even you can’t change that overnight. I doubt you can change it at all.’

  ‘I never said I was going to change the way this club works, Ben. I’m all too aware of the reputation we have, the kudos we carry. I can’t say I’m proud of it all, but I have a right to keep this club going – the way Dad wanted it, before he became some power hungry des
pot I barely recognize now.’ His gaze dipped briefly, and he let out yet another heavy sigh. ‘None of this is gonna be simple, brother. There are gonna be things we have to do that we’re not gonna like. Things that are gonna be hard for us – for you…’

  ‘Like what?’ Ben could feel a chill in the air he wasn’t comfortable with.

  Sol fixed him with a look that did nothing to ease that. ‘The Lone Riders – you can’t ever go back there, brother. They’re dead to you now, and that’s the way it’s gotta stay.’

  Fifteen

  Kip leaned back against the wall outside the diner, smoking his third cigarette in ten minutes. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, and he’d spent most of the night indulging in hot, heavy sex and first class weed with a naked Cat. He’d never felt so pumped! There’d even been a small part of him that had wondered, just for the briefest of seconds, as he’d watched a bare-assed Cat make him a breakfast of French toast before giving him a blow-job that had made him come so fast it had taken him ten minutes to get his breath back, whether he really needed to do what he was doing now; whether it would just make an already almighty mess worse than it needed to be. But then he remembered why he was doing it. To protect Mia. He might not be able to love her the way he wanted to love her, but he could still protect her. He was her brother, that was his job – to protect her from men like Ben Salter; men like Benjamin Almeda.

  He turned his head as the door of the diner opened and a slight-built, extremely pretty woman with short, light-brown hair and pale skin exited the diner. She was wearing a waitress’ uniform underneath her jacket, and there was a name badge attached to the front but Kip couldn’t make it out from where he was standing. She seemed to be about the age he assumed Carrie would be now; she just didn’t look the way Kip had expected her to look.

  Pulling himself away from the wall he walked towards her. ‘Hey! Hold on a second… Your name Carrie?’

  The woman stopped walking and turned around, looking Kip slowly up and down, an expression on her face he couldn’t quite read, but it resembled something bordering on distaste. ‘Who wants to know?’