I furrowed my brow. “My what?”
“I’m sorry. Forgive me. For everything. But find your brother. Find him.”
“I don’t have a brother, Dad.”
“You do.”
“What?” I asked.
He coughed again as I wrapped my arms around him, holding him close to my chest. Pressing his ear against my heartbeat, like Mom used to always do for me.
Like she used to do for both of us.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, son. Find him. Find Diesel,” he whispered.
“Who is Diesel?” I asked.
And as the sirens grew closer, my father’s last words forever etched themselves into my memory.
“He’s the president of the Dead Souls.”
2
Sutton
“There’s my princess,” my father said.
“Hey there, Daddy. How was work?” I asked.
“Oh, don’t you worry about that, princess. It went as well as it could have. Though, I regret to inform you I might have to go back out tonight.”
“Ah, well. That just means I can eat pizza again.”
“For the third night in a row?” he asked.
I giggled. “You know it’s my favorite food. Especially when slathered with vegetables on top.”
“How did I luck up with such a wonderful daughter?”
“I don’t know. You don’t deserve it, but that’s none of my business,” I said, grinning.
My father walked over and wrapped me up in a hug, kissing me on the top of my head. No matter how old I got, he always did it. And I knew he always would. I was his princess. His spoiled little mafia princess. He smelled of gunpowder and blood. Which meant he must’ve had a very interesting meeting with some people. I wasn’t an idiot. I knew exactly who my father was. Exactly what his name did to people’s knees on the streets. Lars Norden, the notorious casino skimmer with his name plastered all over leases and ownership of some of the finest casinos in this damn city.
But I simply called him Daddy.
“Save me a couple slices?” he asked.
“Always, Daddy. I think I’m gonna make it a movie night anyway,” I said.
“Let me guess. The Expendables again?”
“They do so well with the explosions. And, come on. Chuck Norris is in one of the movies. Chuck. Norris, Daddy.”
“Maybe one day I’ll just have to track down that man and drop him at the doorstep for your birthday one of these days.”
“I mean, I’ve already met Sylvester Stallone,” I said, smiling.
“Only the best for my princess.”
“I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you too, sweetheart.”
He kissed me on my forehead before letting me go. And as I watched him walk by me, I looked down at his hips. There were blood stains. Red splotches he missed that were soaking into the silken fabric of his suit. I rolled my eyes and made my way up the stairs of the massive mansion I’d grown up in all my life. The place felt more like a prison sometimes than a home. And I always knew when my father had fucked up at his job. Guards would appear at all of the doors and I’d suddenly come downstairs to one of those brute assholes making coffee in the kitchen.
My father, the casino mafioso. Just another day in my world.
But I was happy to play the ignorant little daughter if it got me all the treasures this planet had to offer.
I slipped into my bedroom and closed the door. Then, I went over and unlocked my window. My private suite had its own decked out bathroom and a balcony. The only place in the house that didn’t have a recording camera slapped onto it. I begged my father for the privacy. Told him I couldn't feel comfortable knowing his security men were gazing at me in my nightgowns as I sat out on my balcony at night. It took some buttering up. A bit of batting my eyelashes. But I was able to get him to give me the privacy of that balcony. Which meant I got to see Cage a lot.
I closed my eyes and conjured him as I sat down in my lounge chair on my balcony. Remembering the taste of his lips the first time we kissed. My fingers gravitated toward my mouth, dancing along the searing hot that always permeated them whenever I thought of that man. Oh, I was taken with him the first time I saw him. Strolling into one of my father’s casinos, wanting in on a game he was hosting. That leather jacket pulled over his broad shoulders made my pussy weep with want. His tight white shirt showcased every ring of his abs and the swell of his decadent chest. That etched blonde hair of his had been faded up the sides with a nice little mohawk to run my fingers through. Those steel gray eyes reminded me of the brooding strength he had underneath his dark wash jeans that were practically painted on.
I couldn't keep me eyes off him all night.
And he couldn't keep them off me, either.
I remember the first time he kissed me. After one of my father’s games, where that man had walked out with way more money than I knew my father would be happy with. With his sack of money and that little grin on his face, he marched straight for me until he had me backed into a corner. With his free arm, he wrapped it around my waist. Picked me up into his thick body and crashed his lips against mine. He’d stolen my breath away with the perfect lines of his hair and the salted heat of his tongue. I was putty in his hands that night. Every night after that, too. When he snuck onto my father’s property through the back gate and clamored his way up to my balcony.
Completely unseen by cameras, due to the tantrum I threw with my father.
Every kiss that was stolen underneath the moonlight was seared into my memory. I breathed in deeply, smelling the faint scent of his cologne. The woods of the forest mixed with the dust and dirt of the desert. I panted softly as the memory of his kisses puckered my nipples. Emblazoned my spine with electricity.
“Sutton,” he panted against my lips.
“Take me, Cage,” I said breathlessly.
“Maybe one of these days.”
My eyes whipped open and there he was. Teeming with sweat, his cheeks flushed from the climb. My eyes bulged as I jumped off the lounge chair, trying to contain my squeals as I rushed over to him. I helped him over the wrought iron balcony and backed us into the most shadowed corner of the entire thing. And as his arms wrapped around me, I reached up and captured his lips with mine.
“Cage,” I whispered.
“Sutt—I—we—Sutton,” he murmured.
He pushed me away, and it wasn’t like him. He’d never shown up unannounced like this. He usually contacted me on a burner phone he gifted me with a few months back. Meant only for our phone calls and text messages.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I asked with a whisper. “You could have been caught.”
“I checked for any guards stationed before I walked through the woods. We’re fine. But I need to talk with you,” he said.
I leaned back, peeking into my bedroom to make sure my door was locked. And when I was satisfied it was, I leaned heavily against Cage. Lost myself in his strong embrace. In the heat of his body.
In the warmth I wanted to drown myself in after months of surviving off nothing but stolen kisses and dances under the moonlight.
“What is it? What’s wrong? I can see it in your eyes,” I said.
Then, my eyes fell to his chest. To the white shirt underneath his leather coat stained in red. I slowly backed away, my eyes falling to his dark wash jeans. The fabric painted on, clinging to him tighter than ever because of the massive amount of blood on his body.
“Cage,” I whispered.
My eyes widened as I whipped my eyes back up to his, watching the torrential storm brewing in them. Then, my father’s words came barreling back to me.
It went as well as it could have. Though, I regret to inform you I might have to go back out tonight.
“Oh, no,” I murmured.
“It’s not mine,” Cage said.
I paused, allowing the reality to dawn on my mind.
“You were my father’s work tonight. You and your crew,” I sai
d breathlessly.
“My father’s dead.”
I paused. “Patch?”
Cage nodded slowly, and tears crested my eyes. I’d met the man many times before. He embraced me like family, despite who my own father was. My heart broke. Tears streamed down my cheeks. Cage reached out for me and pulled me back into him, cradling me as we encased ourselves within the shadows of my balcony.
“Oh, no,” I said, sniffling.
“There was a shootout, Sutton. Your father figured out what my crew was doing,” Cage said.
“I told you,” I said, shaking my head against his chest. “I told you my father would find out. Why didn’t you listen? Why didn’t you stop?”
“I tried, Sutton. I tried to get my father to see what was happening.”
“Cage, I’m so sorry. Come here. Oh, my god. I’m so sorry,” I said.
I wrapped my arms around him, and his face fell into the crook of my neck. The pain in his body collapsed onto me, and it almost took me to the ground. I held the massive man, feeling his grief pour off him in waves. His silent tears fell against my skin, and the only thing I could think was how much of a monster my father was sometimes.
All the time, really.
“I have to go,” Cage said.
“No, no. Stay. There aren’t any guards. No one will be making rounds. Just—”
“No, I mean I have to go find my brother.”
I paused, feeling him lift up from my shoulder.
“You have a brother? How did I not know this?” I asked.
Cage sighed. “There’s so fucking much I learned tonight. I’m still in a bit of shock. Did you know my father used to work for yours?”
I paused. “Excuse me?”
He snickered. “Yeah. I figured. It’s a long story, but apparently, I’ve got a brother. And I have to go find him.”
“How—how do you know?”
He paused. “They were my father’s dying words.”
“So, when will you be back?”
“I don’t know. I wanted to come see you before I left town. I’ve already packed myself up. I’m heading out tonight, and I have no idea when I’ll be back.”
I paused. “So, you’re not coming back.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“But it was implied. When a man says he has no idea when he’ll be back, it means he’s usually not coming back.”
Footsteps coming down the hallway paused us in our tracks. I shoved Cage against the balcony and made my way quickly into my room. I tossed myself onto my bed and held my breath, steadying myself as best as I could. And when a knock came at my door, I swallowed hard.
“Princess?” my father asked.
I drew in a silent breath. “Yeah, Daddy?”
“I have to head back out. Are you sure you’re gonna be okay here by yourself?” he asked.
“I’ll be fine. I’m just about to order the pizza! Want some jalapeño breadsticks, too?”
“You know me perfectly, princess. I’ll leave some money on the kitchen counter for you to pay the delivery guy. And don’t invite him in this time, yeah?”
I giggled. “You got it, Daddy.”
I heaved a sigh of relief when he chuckled. He walked back down the hallway, disappearing downstairs. I scrambled off my bed and onto the balcony, only to see Cage tossing his leg over the wrought iron railing.
“I’m coming with you,” I said.
He paused, whipping his eyes up to me as he held himself steady.
“Hell no, you’re not,” he said.
“I’m coming with you, and that’s final. I’m not sticking around while you go gallivanting off to find the last shred of family you’ve got.”
“If you follow me, so does your father. I’m not putting anyone at risk because of that.”
“Cage, I have my own place. I’m only here for the weekend. All I need to do is leave a note with some pizza here, telling my father that something came up with work. After that, I won’t hear from him for weeks. Months, even. When he gets preoccupied with work like this? He doesn’t even remember I exist. You know that more than anyone.”
He sighed. “And there’s no way I’m talking you out of this?”
“No. So, you might as well come back in here so I can make good on my word. Let my father get out of here with no chance of coming back for something. I’ll get the pizza ordered. We’ll have a few slices on the balcony. I’ll pack a bag, then we’ll go. Just—just go,” I said.
I knew Cage wasn’t happy. I knew he was itching to get on the road. But he came back over to my side of the railing. I smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek, then rushed for my phone. I quickly ordered the pizza, telling them there was a wonderful tip in it for the driver if they got it to me within the hour. As soon as I hung up, I packed a bag.
“How long should I pack for?” I asked.
But when I looked over at Cage, I saw him staring at the wall. Dead in his eyes. A slump in his shoulders. And absolutely covered in blood.
“Cage,” I said softly.
He slowly looked over at me and I sighed.
“Go take a shower. I think you have a pair of clothes still in the back of my closet from the last time you were here. When I stayed with my father last Christmas. Remember?” I asked.
He nodded slowly, and my heart broke for him.
“Go take a long, hot shower. We’ll get out of here as soon as we can. Okay?” I asked.
And with a slow turn of his back, he made his way into my bathroom.
3
Cage
I pulled my shirt over my head and sighed. I had reluctantly agreed to let Sutton come along, mostly because I was way too tired to fight with her. My heart was heavy. I still felt my father’s blood sitting against my clean, bare skin. I looked down and saw the clean clothes, but I couldn’t get rid of the phantom imprint of those stains all over my hands. My jeans. My shirt. My arms.
“Here,” Sutton said.
Her voice ripped me from my trance, and I looked up, watching her as she held out a slice of pizza for me.
“You need to eat,” she said.
The vegetables piled high called to me. I’d never in my life found another person who enjoyed putting as many vegetables on their pizza as I did. And the place Sutton always got delivery from had every vegetable available. I saw the broccoli and the spinach. The freshly chopped tomatoes and the banana peppers. It had olives, green peppers, red peppers, and even onions. Mushrooms, strewn in with a bit of pineapple to cut through all the saltiness.
“Eat, Cage. You look like shit,” Sutton said.
I took the slice of pizza from her and practically inhaled it. I didn’t actually think I chewed it enough to know what it tasted like. She handed me another one. And then, another. And as she nibbled on her second slice, I’d inhaled four massive slices of the extra-large pizza.
“Isn’t your father going to be—”
“He’ll just assume I took a slice or two with me. I do it all the time,” she said.
I nodded slowly as I polished off my fourth slice of pizza.
I took her in with my eyes as she chomped on a piece of her crust. Sutton was beautiful. She caught my eye the second she walked into that casino her father owned. Which none of us knew at the time. Though, we probably should have assumed as such. Her long black hair spilled in soft curls almost to the middle of her back. She always wore bows in it. Like that somehow made the devious look in her dark brown eyes all the more innocent. Her tan skin glistened, even if the lights were off. Even if we stood underneath a pitch black sky, her skin always seemed to glow.
I’d only known her a few months. But I cared for her. I’d never pressed anything beyond kissing with her because I didn’t want to toe any more of a dangerous line. But after tonight? I understood how ruthless her father was. I understood the lengths he’d go to in order to make sure I dropped dead. If I could get Sutton away from him, I’d feel better about her safety. Because if her father ever found out about us
while I was away?
I wasn’t sure I’d ever forgive myself if something happened to her.
Plus, I knew once she had made up her mind, there was nothing I could to do change it. And she’d made up her mind to come with me. Her bag was packed. The plan was set. All we had to do was slowly climb down from her balcony to the grass in her father’s backyard and make a break for the woods.
From there, we could run to where I always parked my bike. In the brush, a few blocks from the house. Just in case his men went looking for any signs of intruders. But his men weren’t at the house tonight. They were all with him.
Looking for me.
“Ready?” Sutton asked.
“Whenever you are,” I said.
She tossed me her purse before tossing me another small backpack.
“Help me out with this stuff. You know I can pack light, but I’ll still need help getting it down to the ground,” she said.
“We’ve got a bit of a walk to my bike. But if we can keep up a steady job, it’ll only take us a minute or two to get there,” I said.
“Fair enough. Is there anything else you want from this room?”
I furrowed my brow. “Why would I want anything?”
“Don’t know. Figured I’d ask, just in case you wanted to take a pillow or something. You’re always talking about how nice my pillows are.”
“They’re nice because they smell like you. Not because I want to take one of them with me.”
She grinned. “Then, let’s go taint some other pillows with the smell of my hair so you can flirt with those, too.”
I chuckled, and her smile breathed a new life within me. I slid the backpack over my shoulder, then tossed her purse strap around my neck. I’d need one of my arms free to get down the balcony, then I’d need it again once she tossed her suitcase down. Which is what I knew she’d do, since she wasn’t making any effort to try and figure out how to carry the damn thing down on her person.
“Okay, you go first, then I’ll—”
Her cell phone rang out with a ringtone we both recognized. And when her eyes widened, I made a mad dash for the balcony. I tucked myself away in the shadows as she stared at her phone, waiting for me to get out of sight.
Dead Souls MC: Prospects Series Books 1-5 Page 2
