Retribution (The Lone Riders MC Series Book 2)

by Michelle Betham

  Kip stared at his father before dropping his head into his hands. ‘I don’t believe this… Did Lexi know?’ He looked up. ‘ Before me, I mean.’

  ‘Coby told her,’ Charlie sighed, sitting down next to Kip. ‘I’d asked him not to, but, well… I guess he thought it best to let her know. If only to stop you from doing something – something you really shouldn’t.’

  ‘And Mum?’

  It was Charlie’s turn to bow his head. ‘She’s not happy. But it was a long time ago. So much crap’s happened since then…’

  ‘That’s not an excuse, Dad… come on! We’re talking about Mia here. Jesus! I grew up with her. And then… then she turns up here, looking hot as hell and I… Shit! I was falling in love with her. I was actually falling in love. For the first time in my sorry fucking life.’

  ‘That can’t happen, Kip. You’ve got to get your head around this and leave her alone. When she finds out, things are gonna be tough enough without any more confusion. So you need to sort that out, forget anything else you might have felt for her, and start thinking of her as your sister.’

  Kip stared out ahead of him. ‘All the crap you gave Mum when you found out about her and Tay, and yet, you’d cheated on her long before any of that happened.’

  ‘I know,’ Charlie sighed again, well aware of everything Kip was telling him. Everything Lexi had already told him. He knew he’d handled it badly, but nobody was powerful enough to turn the clock back. All they could do was deal with the truth, and handle the fallout as best they could.

  ‘My sister,’ Kip whispered, followed by an icy, humorless laugh. ‘I finally find a woman I can actually imagine spending the rest of my life with, and she’s my frigging sister!’

  ‘She wasn’t yours, Kip,’ Charlie pointed out. ‘She’s with Ben, they’re together…’

  ‘Yeah, well, I doubt that’ll last. And I would’ve been there for her, you know? When it all falls apart.’

  Charlie eyed his son warily. ‘You can still be there for her. Just not in the way you first imagined you would be.’

  Kip stood up, walking behind the bar to grab a beer. ‘How much do you know about Ben Salter?’

  Charlie joined Kip at the bar, accepting the beer he held out to him. ‘Enough.’

  ‘You know what he used to be?’

  Charlie narrowed his eyes as he looked at his son. ‘I know he’s more than used to the world we inhabit.’

  ‘Yeah.’ Kip took a long swig of beer. ‘He’s more than used to it.’ He looked over towards Mia, who was by the entrance to the clubhouse, talking to Luca, laughing at something he was saying, and Kip felt an unexpected wave of pain tear across his chest. She looked like she didn’t have a care in the world, but her world was about to be turned upside down. ‘You gonna tell her the truth now?’ He turned back to face his father. ‘Tonight?’

  Charlie shook his head. ‘No. Not tonight.’

  ‘Jesus, Dad…’

  ‘There’s been enough truth dealt out for one day, Kip. Let’s all just sleep on it, get used to it ourselves before we tell Mia.’

  ‘And Mum knows to keep her mouth shut, does she?’

  ‘Angie knows exactly what’s expected of her.’

  Kip leaned over the counter. ‘How much more crap are we expected to take, Dad? I mean, Coby was actually starting to get this place under control and then… then all this kicks off and it’s secrets and lies and more fucking surprises…’

  ‘I know. I know, son, but this is the end of it, I promise you. No more skeletons, no more secrets.’

  Kip just raised an eyebrow as he took another drink of beer.

  ‘Charlie!’

  Both men turned to see Bear come running into the clubhouse, looking more than a little dishevelled.

  ‘I need a word,’ Bear said, looking from Charlie to Kip. ‘In private.’

  ‘Something happened?’ Kip asked, draining his beer, throwing the empty bottle in the trash and immediately opening a fresh one.

  ‘In here.’ Charlie ignored Kip, leading Bear into the chapel and closing the door behind them. ‘What’s up?’

  Bear reached into the top pocket of his cut and pulled out his phone, handing it to Charlie.

  ‘What the…?’ Charlie stared at the picture on the screen, taking a few seconds to let the image sink in before he looked back at Bear. ‘Did you find him like this?’

  ‘He’s not a problem any more, boss. That’s all that matters.’

  ‘Did you find him like this, Bear?’

  ‘I did what I had to do, Charlie.’

  Charlie looked back down at the photograph. ‘What did you do with him?’

  ‘Nothing but compost now, boss.’

  ‘You sure?’ Charlie asked, handing him back the phone. ‘Because if anything comes back to bite us in the arse…’

  ‘I know how to deal with this kind of thing, Charlie. Nothing’s gonna blow back on us.’

  ‘Yeah,’ Charlie sighed, leaning back against the sideboard. ‘Yeah, I know. I can trust you.’

  ‘We gonna tell Mia?’

  ‘I’ll do it,’ Charlie said, patting Bear on the shoulder. ‘Then we’ll think about lifting this lockdown. Everyone’s been cooped up here on top of each other for long enough, I reckon.’ He started walking towards the door, but stopped and turned around before opening it, his eyes slightly narrowed as he looked at Bear. ‘How did you find him?’

  ‘I was asking around, in one of the bars on the main street, trying to find out if anyone had seen him, and a couple of guys told me they’d overheard him talking in that strip club just outside of town, telling someone he’d found a little place up in the hills…’

  ‘The hills? Anywhere close to the MC’s cabin, by any chance?’

  Bear shrugged, folding his arms and leaning back against the huge wooden table that took up most of the space in the chapel. ‘I’m not that familiar with where the cabin is, boss. I just had a ride up into the hills, to see if I could see anything… And I found him, just sitting there, taking in the view, smoking a cigarette like he didn’t have a care in the fucking world.’

  Charlie held Bear’s gaze for a few seconds more, before finally breaking the stare. ‘Okay. Well, maybe you should have called us…’

  ‘You think I had time for that?’

  Charlie sighed, pushing a hand through his hair. ‘Yeah. You’re right. All that matters is that he’s gone. And Mia can finally start to get on with her new life. Although, to be honest, if Lennie’s gone, she could come home. If that’s what she wants.’

  Bear’s expression carried a fleeting hint of panic that he quickly pushed aside, dropping his eyes to the floor to allow him a second to compose himself. ‘You think she’ll want that?’

  It was Charlie’s turn to shrug. ‘Who knows? Guess it all depends on how things are going with Ben. She’s just got options now, hasn’t she?’

  Bear watched Charlie walk out of the chapel, leaving the door slightly ajar behind him. Charlie thought Mia had options. But Bear knew how limited those options could turn out to be.

  ***

  Mia looked up as Ben approached the couch, his hands in his pockets, an expression verging on apologetic covering his face.

  ‘You okay?’ he asked, a touch nervously, Mia thought.

  ‘I’d be better if you hadn’t been acting like an idiot for most of the day. In fact, you’ve been acting weird for most of this lockdown. You don’t even have to be here, Ben…’

  ‘I stayed for you. Because I care about you.’

  ‘Do you? Really? Because, all I’ve been seeing is you in huddled conversations with some of the other guys, fighting or throwing your weight about, and I just don’t get how you go from mild-mannered lawyer to first-rate dickhead in a matter of days.’

  He sat down beside her, dropping his head, pushing both hands through his hair.

  ‘And all this shit with Kip, Ben. What the hell is that all about, huh? I don’t want Kip in that way, okay? And I don’t believe I ever sen
t out messages that said I did. I Just needed someone to turn to, someone who wasn’t involved with you and me and… I just needed to step back. I needed a friend. Do you understand?’

  ‘No,’ he sighed, pushing his hands through his hair again. ‘I don’t think I do.’

  She looked away from him, clasping her hands tightly together. ‘I think I’m falling in love with you, Ben.’

  Still she kept her eyes off him as she said those words. Words she meant, with all of her heart she meant them, but she couldn’t look at him. What if he didn’t feel the same way? Nothing was ever simple in this world she lived in. And Ben, he wasn’t really a part of her world. Loving her might mean he had to be, and if he didn’t want that…

  ‘Mia, baby, I…’

  ‘It’s okay,’ she said, standing up and walking away, but he was up and after her within seconds, grabbing her arm and swinging her around to face him. Mia looked down at his hand circling her wrist, and he immediately let go.

  ‘I’m sorry, I…’

  ‘I shouldn’t have dropped that on you like that, Ben. It’s me who should be sorry. I mean, bringing out the “L” word when we hardly even know each other…’

  ‘We don’t know each other at all, Mia.’ His voice was quiet, his eyes fixed on hers.

  She looked back at him, her expression slightly confused.

  ‘I’m not who you think I am,’ he whispered, wondering just how much he should really tell her. How much she needed to know.

  ‘Ben, I… I don’t understand.’

  He moved a little closer, testing the water to see her reaction, but there was no sign she wanted him to back off. ‘I’m not really that mild-mannered lawyer you first thought I was.’

  Her frown deepened, the confusion rising.

  ‘I mean, yes, I am the club’s lawyer, but I… When I told you I used to be a biker…’ He dropped his head again, running his hand along the back of his neck. ‘I used to be part of an MC. One not far from here.’

  Mia cocked her head, her eyes locking with his as he looked back up at her, the confusion on her face evident.

  ‘I was trying to leave it all behind, trying to walk away…’

  ‘From what?’

  He looked down again, finding it harder to look at her. It never was easy to tell someone you cared about that you’d been keeping secrets. ‘I was a member of the Dark Angels, Mia.’

  Mia felt her stomach sink, her breath catching in her throat. This may have been her first time in California, but she still knew only too well who the Dark Angles were. The reputation they had. ‘The… the Dark Angels they’re… they’re one of the most notorious MCs in the state of California… One percenters…’

  Ben finally looked up, his eyes locking with hers. ‘My father was – still is – a part of that club. I grew up within its confines, so, I guess we have more in common than we first thought, huh?’

  She stared at him, trying to let what he’d just told her sink in. ‘The Dark Angels, they’ve done things – condoned things that…’ She broke off, backing away from him but he reached out to her, his expression almost pleading with her to hear him out. ‘Does everyone here…? Do they know what you were?’

  ‘Some of them do, yes. The Lone Riders and the Dark Angels, they’ve had plenty of run-ins over the years…’

  Mia felt her stomach turn over again. All of a sudden, small things she hadn’t thought all that much about before, they were starting to make sense now. ‘That tattoo, the one on your back…’

  ‘It’s a club tattoo,’ Ben said, his voice quiet, but there was a kind of relief evident there, too. Like he was almost glad to be finally getting this out in the open. ‘It’s why I tried to keep my back hidden from you as much as I could, to stop you from seeing it in case… in case you recognized it.’

  ‘Were you ever gonna tell me?’

  ‘Of course I was. Baby, please…’

  ‘Why did you leave?’ Her eyes widened as more pieces started to slowly fall into place. ‘The accident… Was that…?’

  ‘I wanted out, Mia. That’s all. How that happened, it doesn’t matter any more.’

  ‘Doesn’t it?’

  ‘Those days are behind me, baby, I mean that.’

  ‘So if… if they all know…’

  ‘Not everyone knows who I used to be. Charlie doesn’t. I mean, he knows who the Dark Angels are, obviously, because our clubs have clashed before, but he doesn’t know I…’

  ‘Our clubs… They way you said that…’

  ‘No, Mia, listen to me…’

  ‘But Coby knows, right?’

  Ben nodded. ‘Luca, Kip, Kel… they all know. And so do Jesse and Shane, but apart from that, I’m not sure anyone else has made the connection.’

  ‘And they… they let you in here?’

  ‘There’s a complicated history, Mia, but there’s also…’

  She held up a hand to stop him from talking. ‘I don’t know if I want to hear any more, Ben.’ She leaned back against the wall, thankful the clubhouse was quiet. Everyone was outside, enjoying a barbecue and beer and the warm night air. ‘I still don’t understand how you go from being a member of one of the most notorious MCs in the country, to being the lawyer of a rival club.’

  ‘The Lone Riders were never a rival to the Dark Angels, Mia.’

  ‘You said they had run-ins with us.’

  ‘They had run-ins with everyone.’ He sighed quietly, briefly looking over towards the clubhouse door, making sure nobody else was about. ‘Look, Mia, everything about that time was complicated, and maybe, one day, I’ll explain it all to you, but in reality, none of it matters.’

  ‘You reckon?’

  He faced her again, reaching out to gently touch her cheek, his thumb lightly stroking her skin. ‘It doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t.’

  ‘I just… I know you can’t just walk away from a club like that, Ben. You can’t. Not without there being repercussions, so I don’t get how…’

  ‘One day, Mia. I promise.’

  ‘Sheriff Bailey knows too, doesn’t he? It make sense now, all those huddled conversations I’ve seen you two have.’

  Ben bowed his head again, his hand still cupping her cheek. ‘He’s been a good friend to me. But he doesn’t always agree with the way I’ve handled things. Without him, though…’

  ‘This is too much, Ben. I need time to think…’ She took his hand, pulling it away from her face. ‘I need some air.’

  ‘Mia?’

  She stopped walking, turning around to face him.

  ‘What you said before… Did you mean it?’

  Of course she’d meant it. Even after everything he’d just told her, she still meant it. ‘I just need some time,’ she whispered.

  ‘And I need you, Mia. For the first time in my life I need someone.’

  ‘Too much is going on right now, Ben. My head, it’s full of…’

  ‘Please.’ He held out his hand and she looked at it, not really knowing what to do. She had feelings for this man, she really did, but out there was her crazy ex-husband just waiting to… to what, exactly? She didn’t know. He hadn’t explained what he really wanted, and even though this lockdown was supposed to make her feel safe, she couldn’t totally relax. But this man here, he’d once made her feel safe. He’d made her feel comfortable and safe and cared for. But he was right – they didn’t really know each other at all.

  ‘I… Ben, I can’t…’

  He kept his arm outstretched, his hand open, just waiting for her to take it, his eyes almost pleading with her to stay with him. ‘I think I’m falling in love with you too, Mia.’

  She bit down on her lip, trying desperately to stop hot, confused tears from falling. She’d never felt so weak, so exposed; so ready to just give in and do something she wasn’t sure was right, but she needed it. She needed him. Whoever he was. Whoever he’d once been.

  Reaching out she took his hand, letting him pull her against him, closing her eyes as his mouth touched hers, h
is fingers winding in her hair as he kissed her slow and deep.

  ‘We should talk…’ she whispered, but it was a pitiful attempt to stop the inevitable. And she hated herself for the weakness she was displaying here, but just feeling him this close to her was giving her that warped, surreal safety she craved. ‘I’m scared, Ben. Scared of everything that’s happening, of what you’ve just told me…’

  He looked into her eyes, slowly shaking his head. ‘There’s nothing to be scared of, baby, I promise you. My past, it’s gone, okay? It happened, and I’m not proud of some of the things I did…’ He closed his eyes, resting his forehead against hers, his thumb still stroking her cheek. ‘But it’s over now. I changed my life, I moved on.’

  ‘Did you?’ she whispered. ‘Because I saw a change in you when you started hanging around here. When you started riding again. And now that all makes sense. I just don’t understand… If you really wanted to leave all that behind, why stay so close to where it all happened?’

  ‘It’s complicated, Mia.’

  ‘You keep saying that, but it doesn’t really help me…’

  ‘I don’t want to lose you, baby. That’s why I had to tell you. Why I had to come clean. Things were starting to…’ He took a deep breath, letting go of her and sitting down on the couch, raking both hands through his hair. ‘When this is over, all I want is for us to try and build some kind of life together. Me and you. And I have no idea what kind of life it’ll turn out to be, I just know that, whatever it is, I want to be living it with you. That’s the only thing I’m sure of right now.’

  She walked over to him, straddling him, taking his face in her hands and kissing him slowly. ‘You have really messed with my head, lawyer man. Biker boy. Whatever you are. But your past… that scares me, Ben, and I’m not gonna lie. Like I said, those kind of clubs, you can’t just walk away from them…’

  ‘Can you trust me? Please? If you love me, can you just try and trust me?’

  She stared into his eyes, searching his face for something, some sign that he was being genuine, because she didn’t really know what to believe any more. ‘Okay.’ The word fell from her lips before she’d had a chance to think about it; to think about how comfortable she really was with all of this.