by Erin Osborne
Rage’s Redemption
By: Erin Osborne
Copyright
Copyright 2018© Erin Osborne
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written permission of the author except for brief quotations used in book reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Cover Design: Graphics by Shelly
Editor: Jenni Copeland Belanger
Dedication
This book is dedicated to the readers. Without you, none of us would be able to live our dream and do something that we love to do. You have stood by my side and shown me more support than I ever dreamed possible. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!
Table Of Contents
Rage’s Redemption
Copyright
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Epilogue One
Epilogue Two
Rage’s Redemption Playlist
Acknowledgements
About The Author
Note to the Readers
Prologue
Keegan
THE FIRST NIGHT THAT RAGE and Kasey stayed for dinner was an event that changed everything. Or maybe it was just the kiss that changed everything. I’m not sure what it was, but things definitely changed in that moment. Rage has been here almost daily on top of when he’s guarding the house. I’m not sure exactly why they’re guarding the house, but there’s at least three men here every day around the clock.
Before I head out today I need to check the mail. It’s been a few days and, Riley, a friend from one of the towns I stayed in, was supposed to be sending me some stuff. She found a few things that I had left behind and knew I wanted them. To some it might not seem like much, but to me they’re priceless. Pictures of Whitney and I when we were younger, a few that she managed to sneak out to me when Sami was younger, and three bracelets that Whit had given me shortly before she got sold. These items became my only connection to my cousin.
“Where are you headin’ Keegan?” Rage asks me, standing up from his chair on the porch.
“Just to check the mail. My friend is supposed to be sending me some stuff I forgot a few months ago.”
“You want me to check it for you?”
“No. Kasey is washing up before we head over to Whitney and Irish’s house. I’ll be right back.”
The mail box is still in view considering the house doesn’t sit that far from the road. I pull out the few pieces of mail I have and head back up to the house. As I’m flipping through the small stack, I see handwriting that has my blood running cold. Rage is at my side in a heartbeat, but I need to read this by myself.
“What’s wrong Keegan?” he asks, trying to take the mail from me.
“Nothing. The package isn’t here and it’s upsetting is all,” I lie. Usually I don’t lie to anyone and this feels sour on my tongue. I need to know what this asshole wants before I let anyone else in on what’s going on.
As soon as I’m back in the house and Rage is sitting back in his usual chair, I head into the bedroom I’ve been sleeping in. Sitting down on the bed, I put the rest of the mail to the side. Holding the letter, I don’t want to open it, but I know I must. Even if it’s just to find out what he wants and how he found me. So, I take a deep breath and then rip open the letter.
Keegan,
I don’t know what you were thinking when you thought you could escape your fate. For the past sixteen years I have been trailing you all over the country. Now, I’ve found you in the same area as your slut of a cousin. I don’t know what you are thinking, but you WILL be coming home. I owe you to Sam and you are going to him. He’s been waiting a very long time for you.
So, you have three months to make your decision. That’s Sam’s time frame. At the end of three months, you can either make this easy or hard. If we have to come get you, you won’t like what happens. This is your only warning!
Sincerely,
Your loving father
The paper falls out of my hand and lands on the floor. I was so into reading the letter that I didn’t know that Rage had entered my room. Before I can react, he scoops up the letter and starts to read it. This is not what I need today. I don’t need him to try to fight my battles for me and have something happen to him.
“What the fuck is this Keegan?” he asks. Even though he’s yelling, I know that he’s not angry with me. I can see the concern written all over his face.
“I don’t want you to get involved Rage,” I tell him. “This is my problem to deal with. And if you knew the things that I’ve had to do since I’ve been gone, you’d be running far away from me.”
“And what do you think that you’ve done so wrong that would scare me away?”
“I had one person try to pimp me out. Before I could get away, he did make me go to two people. It was the worst night of my life. I’ve been beaten to the point that I lost my baby and then turned to drinking to forget it. When I lost my baby, I was upset, but then again, I was relieved. I didn’t want my child to grow up living in a house with Sam if he ever found me. That’s just a few things. I can give you a whole list of things I’ve had to do to survive.”
“Baby, those are things that happened to you. You didn’t choose to do those things. If you think that shit is goin’ to scare me away, you have another thing comin’. I’ve learned to go after what I want and that’s what I’m gonna do. You better get used to it!”
I stare at Rage in astonishment. How a man like him could want someone like me is completely beyond me. I’ve never seen myself as anything special. I’m just me and that’s good enough for me. Rage could have anyone he wants, and I know this. I see women throwing themselves at him constantly if we go out anywhere. For the most part, he ignores them. But, that’s just what I see. And, there’s the club girls that he can go to at any point in time. So, he’s definitely not lacking company.
“But, what if I don’t know if I’m even going to stay in Clifton Falls? I might be leaving here soon,” I tell him, trying to convince myself.
“I think you know already that you’re goin’ to be stayin’ here. There’s too much here for you to want to leave. If Whitney, Sami, Cassidy, and Austin aren’t enough of a reason to stay, then Kasey and I will become your reason,” Rage tells me, leaning down and placing a kiss on my temple.
I can’t respond to that. No matter how much I want Rage, today showed me that there can’t be a relationship between us. My dad and Sam aren’t ever going to leave me alone. I’m not going to bring anyone into that shit show. Kasey needs Rage around and I’m not going to risk his life for the two men looking for me. He doesn’t know what they’re like and what they’re willing to do.
Chapter One
Rage
IT’S BEEN TWO WEEKS SINCE Keegan got the letter from her dad. We’re still trying to figure out how he found her. I’m pretty sure that Whitney’s dad told him where she was, but we can’t prove that since we can’t find him now. Irish is working extra on trying to find him since he’s married to Whitney and Keegan is her cousin. He’s no
t going to allow anything to fuck up his family.
I’m trying to stay even closer to her, but I can feel Keegan pushing me away. I know that she’s scared and doesn’t want anything to happen to me. What she doesn’t realize is that I’m not going anywhere. We’re going to explore this thing between us because I know she feels it too. And if I learned anything from what happened with Storm, it’s that you go after what you want when you find it.
As usual, I’m sitting on the front porch in the chair. I’m listening to Keegan and Kasey in the house and I love hearing the laughter coming from my daughter. Unfortunately, I can’t keep listening to them because there’s a car coming down the road. Looking closer, I can see that it’s the same car that’s been here once a week since the letter arrived. Now I know what to expect. The roses.
Every week so far, Keegan gets roses dyed black and starting to wilt. They represent the number of weeks that she has left. This week, there will be ten of them. Once I realized what they were, she screamed her head off the first time she got them, I try to keep them from her sight. I don’t ever want Keegan to see them again. Or the card that comes with them.
Running down the steps, I meet the delivery man before he can even get out of the car. Hell, I’m surprised he stopped with the way I met the car. Grabbing the box, I slip the card in my pocket, hand him some money, and walk towards the house. The garbage can is out front, so I throw the box right in it.
Sitting down in my usual spot, I make sure no one is looking before I pull the card out. Every week the message gets worse and I can’t imagine what this one is going to say. Fuck, it’s going to be bad by the time we get to the last one
Keegan,
The countdown continues. You don’t seem to be taking this seriously, so I might have to persuade you. If I don’t hear from you soon, someone you love will be hurt. Sam is becoming frustrated and you don’t want it to get much worse.
Sincerely,
Your loving father
Keegan’s dad is no loving father. What kind of man sells his daughter and then spends sixteen years chasing her? Now, he seems to be hunting her down. Too bad the chicken can’t come out of hiding and show himself. I can’t wait to get my hands on this fucker!
“Rage, was someone here?” Keegan asks, coming to the door.
“Um, I won’t lie to you. You got another delivery. I took care of it already.”
“What’s the card say this time?”
“I really don’t want to tell you. Or show it to you,” I tell her, trying to let her see that it’s not good without actually showing her.
“Rage, please?” she asks. “I need to know what is going on. If I don’t know, then I won’t know how to protect myself. Can you understand that?”
“I get where you’re comin’ from. It still doesn’t make me want to tell you what it says. I’m tryin’ to protect you here.”
“I know you are. But, I still need to be able to protect myself. You aren’t always going to be with me. And, if I’m with someone else, I need to know they’re going to be okay.”
Relenting, I hand the card over to her. As she’s reading it, I can see the color draining from her face. She’s truly scared, and not just for herself anymore. Now, she’s worried about everyone around her too. As she gets to the last part of the card, I can see the decision in her eyes that she’s going to run. That’s not going to happen.
“You’re not goin’ anywhere Keegan. The safest place for you is right here. We can, and will, protect you. Don’t ever doubt that,” I tell her, wrapping my arm around her and making her look me directly in the eyes. Keegan needs to know I’m dead serious about protecting her.
“I have to. Can’t you see that I’m bringing a world of trouble here?”
“It’s not anythin’ we can’t handle. We took Carl down, and we’ll take this asshole down too.”
“You can’t promise me that. You can’t stand here and promise me that no one is going to get hurt,” she tells me, tears shimmering in her eyes.
Keegan is trying to be so strong. She needs to learn that she can depend on us though. We will all have her back and protect her if the need arises. It’s nothing that we haven’t done for anyone else. There will always be someone that needs to be helped or protected, we’re in a position to do that.
“I need to call Grim about this babe,” I tell her. “He might want to step up the protection on you for a little bit.”
“Rage, I seriously think I should leave. I won’t bring them here.”
“So, you’d rather go out there alone? Unprotected and alone? Are you tryin’ to make sure that they get you? Do you really want to go with them? Is that what you’re tryin’ to get at?” I ask, my voice raising. Keegan is scared, and I know that’s the reason she’s pushing this issue about leaving. At this point, she’s letting her fear overrule rational thought. I won’t allow her to do that.
“That’s not what I want!” she yells right back. “I want to live my life. There’s no way I’ll be able to do that there. From what I hear, Sam is worse than Carl ever thought to be.”
“Okay, so why run? I know you’re still gettin’ to know us, but Whitney trusts us. Sami trusts us. They’re your blood and they believe in us enough to let us help them. Can’t you do the same?”
“It’s just so hard when you’ve had to rely on yourself for so long. I want to believe in your club and trust you guys. I just haven’t really had luck when it comes to trusting other people. Riley is the only one that’s ever been true.”
“Then trust in me. I’ve been here everyday, Keegan. We’re gettin’ to know one another and I want to see where this leads. Don’t let them scare you away,” I tell her, my voice dropping, and I feel like I’m pleading with her now.
“I’ll think about it.”
Keegan turns around and walks back to my daughter in the kitchen. I’ll have to keep a closer eye on her to make sure that she doesn’t pull a runner. There’s no way that I’m letting her disappear because she can’t get over her fear. I’ll prove to her that we can be trusted. Even if I must play dirty and tell Whitney, Sami, and Pops what’s going on. And if she won’t listen to them, then I’ll get Tank to work his magic. I know without a doubt they won’t let her leave. And that Tank will talk her into staying. He seems to have some sort of power when it comes to talking to the women of the club.
Keegan
I truly want to believe in Rage and the Wild Kings. I’ve never had anyone that I could depend on, and it’s been nice to have people around just to laugh and be with. Now that the cards on the flowers getting more threatening, I can’t help the overwhelming feeling that I need to leave. I need to run to protect these people and make sure they don’t get hurt.
For the first time in my life, I’ve been able to live free. I don’t have to worry about someone coming after me because they want something I don’t want to give. There’s people that are going to have my back. Even if it’s just because I’m Whitney’s cousin.
Kasey has brought life back to me. She makes me laugh, smile, and be as carefree as someone can be. We spend our time baking, cooking, playing games, playing outside, and one day taking pictures. She took my phone one day and decided that she needed pictures of us, of Rage and me together, and of the three of us together. Then, we had to go to the store to get some of them printed off. Rage and I each have one of us together, Kasey made sure of it. The one I have is of him standing behind me with his arms wrapped around me.
Today Kasey is spending the day with Reagan and Skylar. So, instead of baking and cooking, I’m cleaning. The music is blaring, and the windows are wide open. Right now, Let You Go by Machine Gun Kelly is blaring throughout the house. I love the song and I have a feeling that I’m going to be telling Rage to let me go one of these days. I’m no good for him.
“What are you doin’ Keegan?” Rage asks me.
“Cleaning. What are you doing?”
“Protectin’ you,” he answers. “And I might be watchin’ you shak
e that fine ass.”
“I don’t know who you’re talking about, but you might want to go chase that girl then,” I tell him, turning to leave the window.
“You know exactly who I’m talkin’ about Keegan,” he calls out after me.
The afternoon flew by and I managed to get the entire house clean, the laundry caught up, and I spent some time with Whitney. She doesn’t understand why I’m limiting my time over there, and I can’t keep explaining it to her. As far as Whitney is concerned, I’m safer at her house then staying at the house with guards. I’m not going to put her and her family in danger though. Well, anymore danger than what I’m already putting them in.
I’m finally back at the house and I’m trying to figure out what I’m going to make for dinner. Tonight, I made sure that it’s just going to be me. This is getting hard trying to limit the amount of time I spend with everyone. But, I’m not going to put Kasey in danger anymore either. I still watch her a little bit during the day, but I make sure that Rage and whoever else guarding me is close by at all times.
There’s a knock on the door and I know that Tank is sitting out front. If whoever here wasn’t safe, then they wouldn’t make it past him. I’m still not taking any chances though, so I look out the door to see who it is. Standing there holding something is Rage. Kasey isn’t with him tonight, so I don’t know what’s going on. Unless something else happened, and he’s coming to warn me.
“What do you want Rage?” I ask, opening the door.
“I’m here for dinner. You’re done hidin’ Keegan,” he tells me, walking in the house and straight to the kitchen.
“What are you talking about? I’m not hiding from anything.”
“You are, and you know it. Tonight, is goin’ to be about us. I’m goin’ to show you what it’s goin’ to be like when we take it to the next level. And you can guarantee that we will be takin’ it to the next level,” he tells me, standing as close as possible to me.
I don’t respond to him. Instead, I try to take a few steps back and put some much-needed space between us. Rage doesn’t let me though. For every step I take backwards, he moves forward. Eventually, I run out of room and I find my back against the refrigerator. He uses this to his advantage and places a hand on each side of me, so I can’t move anywhere. After looking at me for a minute, I see his head moving closer and closer to me. Before I know it, his lips are meeting mine in a breathtaking kiss. It’s even better than the first one.
