Revolution (The Lone Riders MC Series Book #1)

by Betham, Michelle

  ‘I just don’t know whether all this crap could have been avoided. That’s all.’

  ‘You’ve got to let go of the past, Lexi. Step out from underneath that shadow of mistakes we’ve all made. Otherwise you really won’t be able to move forward. We all fucked-up. All of us. But if we keep dwelling on those mistakes, keep putting them before anything else we will never be able to let them go.’

  ‘Your dad’s right,’ Coby said quietly, and Lexi once again looked up at him. ‘Let it go, baby. For us, for that little one out there that we – me and you – created together. Okay, it might not have been under the best of circumstances, but he’s here. And now everything we do has to have him at the forefront. That’s why, when I tell you I’m gonna make things better, I mean it.’

  She reached out to cup his cheek in the palm of her hand, standing up on tiptoes to kiss him slowly, allowing his arm to snake around her waist, pulling her against him.

  ‘I think I’m done here,’ Charlie sighed. ‘Party tonight, guys, by the way. I’m heading back to England tomorrow, and I’m going nowhere without a proper send-off.’

  Thirty-Four

  ‘You’re still not one hundred per cent convinced about their relationship, are you?’ Charlie sat down next to Angie, looking out across the compound as all around him the Lone Riders family – the family he’d created – celebrated their new beginning. Because that’s what was happening here – a new beginning. ‘What’ve you really got against Coby? I thought you liked him.’

  ‘That was before I knew he was sleeping with our daughter. That he’d been sleeping with our daughter for years before I knew anything about it. Before I knew what he was involved with, what he’d got himself mixed up in, because of you. I just don’t know how much I can trust him now, Charlie.’

  ‘You can trust that man with your life. Because there is no way I would let Lexi anywhere near him if I didn’t believe that.’

  Angie looked at her ex-husband, but she didn’t say anything.

  ‘Lexi was born and brought up inside this club,’ Charlie sighed, staring out ahead of him again. ‘So it was always a pretty safe bet she was gonna sleep with more than a few of its members before she settled down.’

  ‘You think she’s settled down?’

  ‘She’s in love with him, Angie. She’s been in love with him for a long time. They have a baby together – our grandson…’

  ‘And that means she’s settling down?’

  ‘It probably means she’ll give it a try.’

  It was Angie’s turn to sigh. ‘Is that baby gonna grow up to be a carbon copy of his daddy?’

  ‘Would that be such a bad thing? Coby’s one of the most loyal and faithful brothers this club has ever had.’

  ‘Loyal?’ Angie laughed out loud, she couldn’t help it. ‘Was he loyal to Tay?’

  ‘That was all on me, Angie.’

  ‘So, what does that make him? Your lap dog?’

  ‘He doesn’t deserve that level of disrespect. Okay? And whatever it is you don’t like about his relationship with Lexi, get over it.’

  ‘Because you say so?’

  ‘Because this club needs stability. It needs change. Coby’s a family man now…’

  ‘He’s been a father for five fucking minutes, Charlie. That does not make him a family man.’

  Charlie faced Angie, his expression hard, cold, almost. ‘He loves our daughter. And he will protect her and Ozzie with his fucking life, and that is all that matters to me, do you hear? I don’t exactly approve of the way this all started, of the way they went about things; of the crap it all caused. But Coby is a good man, and he will turn this club around, of that I have no doubt.’

  ‘I’m not sure Lexi’s ready for this.’ Angie’s voice was quiet, an almost resigned tone to it.

  ‘Ready for what? Jesus, Angie, will you give that kid some credit. I know she was acting like some overgrown wild-child before she came to England, and for the first few years over there she wasn’t much better. But I guess I could handle it, handle her, because I knew why she was acting the way she was.’

  Angie pushed a hand through her hair, sighing again. ‘Before I knew about Ozzie, I’d really hoped it was something she’d get out of her system, this relationship with Coby. I’d really hoped he was just someone she’d maybe had a crush on from years ago, I mean, he’s been in her life since she was ten years old. But I had no idea of their history, did I? No idea of everything that had gone on before.’

  ‘And if you had?’

  She looked at Charlie, shrugging. ‘All of this is pointless now. They’re together, and like you said, I need to get over my hang-ups and start supporting the two of them. Running this club, it’s not easy. Being new parents, that isn’t easy, either.’

  ‘Amen to that,’ Charlie sighed, watching as Coby lay his son over his shoulder, rubbing his back and whispering in his ear. ‘But they’re gonna be just fine, Angie.’

  ‘I wish I could be as confident.’

  He looked at her again, smiling slightly. ‘You’re lucky. You get to see them every day, our daughter and our grandson. You get to shape their lives and look after them.’

  Angie reached out and took his hand, giving it a brief squeeze. ‘Maybe I need to give this mess a chance to straighten itself out, huh?’

  ‘It isn’t gonna do that unless everyone’s on board, Angie. This club can only get stronger now, I really believe that. But I need everyone else to believe that, too. To back Coby and let him move this chapter forward.’

  She reached out and gently touched his face, running her fingertips lightly across his cheek. ‘I’m so sorry, Charlie. For everything.’

  ‘It all worked out for the best. In the end.’ He took her hand and kissed it quickly before jumping down from the table. ‘I’m gonna go say a few more goodbyes before I head back to the hotel and start packing. Got an early flight tomorrow.’

  ‘Charlie… thank you.’

  ‘For what?’

  ‘For giving me my daughter back.’

  He winked at her, throwing her one last smile. ‘She needs her momma, Angie. She really needs her momma.’

  ***

  ‘You okay?’ Lexi asked, wrapping her arms around Coby’s waist from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder.

  His eyes were on Ozzie nestled in the crook of his arm, fast asleep, despite the music and the noise of the party going on around him. ‘I’m just fine, darlin’.’ He turned his head briefly, kissing her quickly before looking back down at their son. ‘He’s a placid wee thing, isn’t he?’

  ‘Well, he’s been around noise from the very second he arrived. The clubhouse was bedlam that afternoon, believe me. And he’s been around all of that ever since. I think silence bothers him more.’ She moved around, keeping a hand on Coby’s waist. ‘It’s hard to stop looking at him, isn’t it?’

  Coby nodded, smiling down at Ozzie. ‘You have no idea how much I regret…’

  She shook her head, putting her fingers to his lips. ‘Don’t, okay? We’re not going there, we’re not raking over it all again, because we can’t change it. Any of it.’

  He rested his forehead against hers, one arm circling her waist, the other holding Ozzie closer to him. ‘I just wish we could, baby.’

  She closed her eyes as his mouth lowered on to hers, kissing her slowly. ‘This compound, this club, it’s full of regrets, Coby. The place is drowning in them. But we’ve all got to try and learn how to push them away now, keep them down; not let them take over. Or they’ll kill us. They’ll kill what I know you can do for this club. What my dad needs you to do.’

  Ozzie started to stir in Coby’s arms, stretching his own tiny arms up in the air. ‘Okay, little guy. Do you want your mummy now?’ He looked at Lexi, that smile she loved lighting up his still worn and battered face. ‘Because I sure as hell know I do.’

  Lexi smiled back, taking Ozzie from him. ‘Come here, baby.’ She leant forward, kissing Coby, his arm pulling her closer. ‘Daddy’s just
gonna have to wait, because you need feeding.’

  ‘Give him here,’ Luca said, coming over to them. ‘If mommy isn’t getting those…’ Coby threw him a look. ‘Yeah, okay, boss. Bottles in the kitchen, right, Lex?’

  ‘Plenty in the fridge.’ Lexi smiled, kissing Luca’s cheek. ‘And thanks.’

  ‘Don’t forget to check the temperature before you give it to him,’ Coby shouted after Luca, who just raised a hand in acknowledgement without turning back around.

  ‘He knows what he’s doing,’ Lexi said, rubbing Coby’s back.

  ‘Yeah. I guess they’re all gonna want to chip in and help out, huh?’

  She smiled, leaning back against the wall. ‘Don’t knock it. Babysitters on tap, that’s what this lot are.’

  He leant in towards her, his mouth almost touching hers. ‘My beautiful biker queen. Exerting her authority already… and you have no idea how much of a turn on that is… Listen, sweetheart, we gonna get out of here for a little while?’

  ‘What you got in mind, soldier?’

  A lazy smile spread across his face, and Lexi felt her heart melt, her stomach clench; every crazy, mixed-up emotion she’d ever felt over the past few weeks coming together in a one huge, uncontrollable mess, and she couldn’t stop the tears from falling.

  ‘Oh, Jesus, baby…’ Coby reached out to brush the tears away, kissing her gently, his hand holding hers so tightly. ‘This wasn’t the reaction I was looking for, kid.’

  She couldn’t help laughing, her eyes locking on to his. ‘All this shit we’ve been through, Coby…’

  ‘It’s over.’

  ‘Is it?.’

  ‘All those promises I made you, Lexi. All those promises I made every single one of these guys here, I meant them all. We’re moving on, starting again, all of us. This family is back together now.’

  ‘I’m glad to hear it.’

  Coby turned around to see Charlie standing there. ‘They aren’t just words, Charlie.’

  ‘I know. This club is in good hands, and I’m going back home a happy and more settled man. But you keep me up-to-date with everything, you hear me?’

  Coby nodded, reaching out to take the hand Charlie held out for him, shaking it vigorously before Charlie pulled him in for a hug.

  ‘Good man. Now, you look after my girl there, and that boy of yours. Make him proud of you. Both of you.’

  ‘You’re not going already, are you?’ Lexi asked. She felt fourteen all over again, saying goodbye to the man she’d idolized all her life. Even after everything he’d done, that would never change.

  ‘I’ve got an early flight in the morning, kiddo. Want to get my head down for a few hours before I head to the airport. I’m not as young as I used to be, remember?’

  She walked over to him, throwing herself into her dad’s arms, holding on to him like she never wanted to let him go.

  ‘Hey, come on, gorgeous.’ He looked at her, stroking the hair from her eyes, smiling at her. A big, bold, beautiful smile. The smile that had made her feel so safe and protected all her life, even when there’d been things he could never have protected her from. ‘You’re Queen around here now, you got that?’

  ‘Whether I like it or not, huh?’ But she’d smiled when she’d said that. A smile Charlie returned.

  ‘You know you’ve wanted that role all your life, ever since you were old enough to watch your mum at work.’

  She looked down at her hand holding tightly on to her dad’s. ‘I really did cause one hell of a mess, though, didn’t I?’

  He reached out to gently cup her cheek. ‘And we cleared it up. Lone Riders style.’

  She smiled again, giving him one more hug. ‘I love you so much, Dad.’

  ‘And I love you, kiddo. But that man over there, he loves you, too.’

  She turned to look at Coby, and her smile widened as he held out his hand.

  ‘Go start that new life of yours, baby girl. Go make your daddy proud.’

  She kissed him quickly, before going back over to Coby, letting his fingers curl around hers, his mouth kiss her slowly. And she was lost in him. That was all it took. A few seconds, and she was lost in him.

  ‘So, my beautiful, sexy-as-hell biker queen. Still want to get out of here?’

  She knew what he was really asking her. What he really needed to know. And only now could she give him an answer she believed herself.

  Sliding her hands into the back pockets of his jeans she pulled him closer, standing up on tiptoes, kissing his slightly open mouth, letting her lips linger on his for as long as she could. ‘Not anymore,’ she whispered. ‘Because I don’t think I could, even if I wanted to.’

  ‘We’ve got work to do, huh, kid?’ He began kissing her neck, his mouth travelling lightly down towards her shoulder, his breath warm, his beard tickling her skin.

  The noise of a packed compound filled the air; music blasting, people laughing. Lexi Hart had come home. And she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

  ‘You’re right, soldier. We’ve got work to do.’

  The Ride continues… ‘Retribution’ – Book #2 in the Lone Riders M/C series – coming Spring 2015…

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