Dead Souls MC: Prospects Series Books 1-5

by Savannah Rylan

  He shrugged. “Or as recompense for shutting up the feds. That almost happened once.”

  “What!?” I exclaimed.

  I heard guns drawn behind me, cocked and loaded. I whipped my head around and saw all of his men pointing guns at me. And not once did my father flinch. Holy shit, I’d gotten myself in way over my head. I’d walked into a scenario I was less than prepared for.

  You still have to take him out, Sutton. No matter what it means for you.

  “Settle down, princess. I’m sure we can work something out,” my father said.

  I slowly eased myself back into my seat and gripped my coffee mug with my trembling hands.

  “How long have you known about Cage and I?”

  My father grinned. “A while. Two, three months. Now, it’s my turn to ask a question.”

  “Yes?”

  “How long have you been with him?”

  I sighed. “Six months.”

  I saw my father’s eye twitch. “And have you two—”

  “No. We haven’t,” I said.

  “You answered that a bit too quickly, princess.”

  “I’m serious. We haven’t. He’s been an absolute gentleman.”

  “I’m sure,” he said flatly.

  “Daddy, you’d really like Cage,” I whispered.

  “No, I don’t really think I would.”

  “Why didn’t you say something if you knew?”

  “Why else? I figured you being close with someone from the Night Outlaws would lead me to them sooner. And it did. So, thank you for that. You were instrumental in that night. Which I’m sure you already know about,” he said.

  “Don’t say that,” I whispered.

  “But you were. Had it not been for your relationship with Cage, it might’ve taken me three or four more months to orchestrate what I had. Now, I had to admit, I was surprised when I did some digging and found out about the Dead Souls. It was simple, really. I saw the way Cage was holding his father. I saw the way his father’s mouth was running, even after we walked away from the scene. I simply stuck around to hear what the man had to say for himself.”

  I felt tears crest my eyes. “You didn’t.”

  “I really did, princess. And let me tell you, the Dead Souls have an incredible money laundering business. Didn’t take me long to figure that out. A few well-placed phone calls really lined up the moon and the stars for me, if I do say so myself. You and Cage, fleeing to the Dead Souls for help. Me, tracking you down, taking everyone out before usurping their business for my own purposes. I could really establish myself in this beautiful state. And honestly, it is a beautiful state. Love the sun.”

  “Daddy stop this. Please,” I said.

  Then, his hand darted out quicker than I could have ever imagined. He wrapped it around my wrist and pulled me across the table, my breasts squashed against the corner of it. Tears trickled down my cheeks. I cried out in pain. And as he held me there with his coffee breath pulsing against my lips, he forced me to look into his eyes.

  “You were just a pawn, Sutton. An obedient, ignorant little pawn. I own you, daughter of mine. There is nowhere you can go and nowhere you can hide where I won’t find you. I’ve taken great measures to make sure you’re safe. To preserve what is mine and preserve what will push my business forward. Because everything I have done was to provide for you, you selfish bitch!”

  He tossed me backward and my back slammed into the hard seat. Dishes crashed in the kitchen and someone cried in the distance. I wrapped my arms around my chest, trying to ease the pain away as my breathing came in ragged pants.

  Then, my eyes fell to my purse.

  My father dies today.

  And as I conjured a way to get that gun out of my purse, I came to peace with the sin I was about to commit.

  A sin I’d never be able to wash away from my hands.

  21

  Cage

  We pulled up to the gas station and walked on in. The woman looked petrified. Like she had seen a ghost, or something.

  “I already called the police. You guys can stay right where you are,” she said.

  Her voice shook, and it was Diesel who took to the front of the group.

  “We aren't here to hurt you. But the woman you reported that was taken is someone we care about. We were hoping we could see your security footage. It’ll help us find her,” he said.

  “But the police said they were already on it,” she said.

  “She doesn’t have a lot of time. Not with the man she’s going to see,” he said.

  “Please, help us,” I said.

  And when her eyes connected with mine, she nodded.

  “Come back here. I haven’t closed out the footage from when the police wanted to see it,” she said.

  “Rock, you’re up,” Diesel said.

  “He’s our resident techy,” Grave whispered.

  “Wait, he is?” I asked.

  “Trust me, looks are deceiving in this group,” Bear murmured.

  We all piled as much as we could into that small back room. I was hunched over one shoulder of Rock’s and Diesel was hunched over the other, our eyes glued to the screen.

  “That’s her. That’s Sutton,” I said.

  Rock held up his hand for me to be quiet before he started rewinding and fast forwarding. And it did nothing to settle my stomach. There wasn’t a look of fear or anxiety on Sutton’s face. She looked as cool as a cucumber, even when she put her finger up to her lips for the woman behind the counter. I felt the guys staring at me. I knew how this looked.

  But in the pit of my gut, I knew something was very off.

  “Okay, so here’s the deal. That SUV is loaded. Which means it has a GPS system in it I could hack if given the time. But we don’t have that kind of time. So, I’m going to run the license plate through a system I developed to track traffic cameras in the area,” Rock said.

  “Can you do that from this computer?” Diesel asked.

  “It’ll take me a little bit. But I can remote in to my laptop and use the system that way.”

  Rock’s fingers flew across the keyboard of the old computer in front of us. I was glued to the screen, watching the damn thing load as slow as fucking dial-up. But, when the interface popped up, all Rock had to do was punch in the license plate that was up on the security camera footage.

  Zoomed in, so we knew we had it right.

  After Rock hit “enter,” the screen ran away with itself. It glitched and shook, but eventually the software began to do its job. Rock murmured to himself. Whispering something that sounded like a prayer. We saw images of the blacked-out SUV pop up. Until one image came to the forefront of them all.

  “There,” Rock said.

  “There what?” I asked.

  “Is that the diner up the road?” Toxin asked.

  “Holy fuck. That’s Rundown Diner,” Bear said.

  “What’s Rundown Diner?” I asked.

  “A diner only fifteen minutes from here. Come on,” Diesel said.

  “Wait a second, how do we know Sutton’s there?” I asked.

  “Because that camera is a live feed camera. That SUV is parked in the parking lot of that diner. Right now,” Rock said.

  I paused. “Then, what the hell are we waiting for? Let’s get the hell over there.”

  Diesel stepped off to the side with the young woman before he pulled out his wallet. I turned my back, not wanting to see what he was doing. Though, I knew exactly what he was doing. Making a new connection the only way the crew knew how. By paying them very well for things they shouldn't be doing. The woman thanked him profusely, then all of us piled out of the gas station.

  Then, we all fell back into formation before we started up the road.

  After driving for about ten minutes, Diesel diverted off the road. I furrowed my brow as the rest of the men followed, and I decided not to question anything. I brought up the rear, trying not to swallow the dust their bikes kicked up. We raced through the desert until we came to a p
atch of lone trees. Trees that looked completely displaced in a space known for its lack of water.

  “Okay, guys. We’re going to sneak up on the diner from here,” Diesel said.

  His voice came alive in my helmet and I nodded. So, that was the plan. Concealing our bikes, eliminating our noise, and sneaking in to get Sutton.

  “Everyone armed?” Grave asked.

  The guys got off their bikes and pulled off their helmets before nodding their heads.

  “I’m not,” I said.

  “Don’t worry, Cage. I got a gun for you,” Diesel said.

  He walked up to my side and brandished a weapon for me as well as a second magazine. I nodded my thanks and tucked the gun in the back band of my pants, sliding the extra magazine into my pocket. We all gathered around Diesel as he quickly ran down the plan. Teams of four, with all of us on the four outer walls of the diner. Guarding all exits, taking aim at all windows, while him and I got ourselves into the bar and had eyes on Sutton.

  “What if a gunfight starts?” I asked.

  Diesel paused. “Then, we take them out.”

  “What if it starts before we’ve got proof as to whether or not this girl’s working for her father?” Brewer asked.

  Diesel looked over at me and I sighed.

  “If we can get eyes on her before we barge in, I’ll know. She’ll either be in distress, or happy she’s there with her father. That will determine to me what’s going on,” I said.

  “You sure you want to make that call based on facial expressions?” Bear asked.

  “Do we really have a choice?” I asked.

  I looked around at all the guys and saw them nod slowly.

  “Okay. You guys wait for my call. Once we have confirmation or denial on Sutton’s side from Cage, we raid. Ready?” Diesel asked.

  “Ready,” the guys said.

  Then, we crept to the west.

  The sun was bright. It hung heavily in the sky as sweat poured down my back. We walked for what seemed like miles in the open desert before we finally came upon the diner. They were at the advantage. Even from where I stood, I saw all the windows with their blinds drawn. Lars and his men had the only cover for miles around us, which left us out in the open to be picked off like berries from a damn bush. My only hope was that I didn’t find Sutton in there happy and content to be with her father.

  Because I sure as hell didn’t want to have been dumb enough to fall for her fucking trap.

  Diesel gave silent commands and we all lightened our footsteps. We managed to surround the diner without raising any red flags. Mostly because those assholes had the blinds drawn. I tried to get a good peek underneath one of them. I tried to figure out where the hell Sutton was. But all we saw were the four black SUVs out front.

  We didn’t know anything else other than that.

  I did the calculations in my head. If those SUVs sat six comfortably, then that meant the possibility of twenty-four men in that diner. Lars and Sutton made twenty-six. Which meant we were outgunned by twice and then some. It wasn’t the best odds. But as I looked around at the guys, they didn’t seem too worried.

  Then, the back door to the diner opened up.

  “Take aim,” Diesel whispered.

  Himself, me, and Grave raised our guns. Pointing them at whoever was opening that damn back door. But, when we saw a woman crouched down trying to crawl out, we quickly lowered them.

  “Help us. Please,” she said, whimpering.

  Diesel rushed over to her and helped her up.

  “This door leads into the kitchen,” he murmured.

  “Ma’am, do you know how many people are in there?” I asked.

  I rushed over to Diesel’s side as Grave held the kitchen door open. He waved at the other kitchen workers to slowly ease their way out so we could replace them. Get an easy entrance into the kitchen while retaining the element of surprise.

  “I don’t know. At least fifteen. Maybe twenty? I think,” she said.

  “Good. That’s good. Now, is there a younger girl in there sitting with an older man?” I asked.

  “Si, si. Yes,” she said.

  “Does she look happy or sad?”

  The woman paused, and I braced myself.

  “She looks terrified, señor. I feel so bad for her,” the woman said.

  I never thought I’d be so relieved for Sutton to be in such despair in my entire life.

  “Good. Thank you. You guys go with this man. His name is Grave. He’ll get you safe,” Diesel said.

  I looked over at my brother and smiled, my heart filling with relief.

  “That enough for you?” I asked.

  “It’s all we’re gonna get for now. And, I’ll take it,” he said.

  “Good. Ready to get in there and end this man?”

  “Hell yeah, I’m ready.”

  “Good,” I said.

  All of a sudden, I heard boot steps softly behind me. Practically muted, had my father not trained me to keep my ears open at all times. I whipped my head around and saw more men approaching the diner. I whipped my gun around, leveling it at the three guys making their way toward my brother and myself. Then, Diesel put his hand on my arm, lowering my gun.

  “The Black Hornets. They’re with us,” he said.

  I paused. “Ah, that was the favor.”

  “Yes, that was the favor,” he said, grinning.

  And as the rest of the guys surrounded the diner, the scores were now evened. We were no longer outgunned, and I felt a sense of calm come over me. A sense of peace. No matter what, I’d get Sutton out of there alive. Only this time, her father wouldn't be behind us.

  He’d be bleeding on the floor with a bullet through his heart.

  And if I had anything to do with it, the bullet would come from my gun chamber.

  22

  Sutton

  I picked up my purse with my trembling hands and I felt guns pointed at me. My father scolded me, holding out his hands and wiggling his fingers. I looked at him with tears running down my face, quaking in my seat.

  “Whatever it is, give it to me, princess,” he said.

  So, I pulled out the small bottle of Tylenol and slapped it in his hand.

  “Happy?” I asked.

  He furrowed his brow before he popped open the top. He sniffed it before handing it back to me. I shook two out into my hand and pressed the top back on, tossing the pills to the back of my throat. I picked up my coffee and swallowed them down. I needed to get the throbbing in my breasts to stop. Then, I slid the pills back into my purse.

  And as I slid my hand back out of my purse, I brought the gun along with me. Settling it into my lap in the hopes no one had seen what I’d done.

  “I didn’t mean to hurt you,” my father said.

  “Yes, you did,” I said plainly.

  “I’d never hurt you intentionally, princess.”

  “Ah, there it is. Intentionally. Excusing you from every other hurt you induce. Supposedly.”

  “You’ve put me in a precarious position, princess. You’re supposed to be sitting on this side of the booth. Not that one. Cage needs to be on that side. You know this,” he said.

  “I suppose I really don’t,” I said.

  I was furious. Upset. Hurt. The only family I’d ever known never loved me to begin with. I was nothing but a chess piece. Something he could wager, if things didn’t swing in his favor. It made me sick. I made me want to shoot him straight in the groin. I wondered so many things. I wondered about my mother. About whether or not her death really was an accident. He made mention of her having a role to play in all this. Having a foothold in his empire.

  “Can I ask you something?” I asked.

  “Of course, you can,” my father said.

  “Mom. You said she died in a car accident.”

  “Yes. She did. I’ll never forgive myself for it, either. We were fighting that night and she’d been drinking—”

  “Yeah, yeah. Wine. Drove drunk. Wrapped herself around a pole.
I know the story.”

  “Is there a question in there?” he asked.

  His voice was ice cold. Curt. And I knew the answer even before I asked the fucking question.

  “Is that what really killed her that night?” I asked.

  He paused. “What are you insinuating?”

  “I’m not insinuating anything. But you took my Tylenol bottle and sniffed the pills. You said she had a role to play in your business. Which means she was probably held to the same standards as everyone else is that works for you.”

  He didn’t say anything, and I shifted in my seat. I folded my hands and put them into my lap, giving me quick access to the gun practically sinking into my flesh.

  “Did you slip something into her drink that killed her that night?” I asked.

  “What?” my father asked.

  “Was it the car accident that killed her? Or something else?” I asked.

  “This conversation is over. It’s time to go.”

  “Really, father? A question you won’t answer? You know as well as I do that it makes you look as guilty of something as if you’d just answered with honesty.”

  “Get up. Now. We’re leaving.”

  “I’m staying right here,” I said coolly.

  My father hardened his gaze onto me. “I’ll deal with you later. The men will take you back to where I’m staying. But right now? I have to take care of the Dead Souls. And whoever else is associated with those pathetic little twats.”

  “You won’t do anything of the sort,” I said.

  Before I could think, I picked up the gun. I cocked it and pulled the trigger, aiming for where I thought his groin was. The gunshot rang out like thunder, buzzing in my ears as the world fell silent. My father’s eyes bulged with pain, and I made my deal with the Devil.

  My father’s death for a swift one of my own.

  I moved the gun and pulled the trigger again, not knowing where I shot my father. But, the look on his face told me the bullets were landing. The world was silent. I didn’t hear the guns. I didn’t hear the bullets. I felt the whizzing around me as I crashed down into the booth, watching my father slide underneath the table. I saw him collapse onto the floor. He was bleeding from both of his thighs. Not exactly where I wanted to hit him, but he was hit, nonetheless.