‘I know,’ she murmured. ‘I know he can’t.’
‘So let’s move forward, baby. Okay? This party tonight, it’s all about new beginnings. Your new beginning. Our new beginning.’
She smiled, kissing him gently, and he held her close, almost afraid to let her go. If truth be told he didn’t really want to leave this room, because out there was a world he still wasn’t sure of.
‘Our new beginning,’ she whispered. ‘I like the sound of that.’
‘Yeah.’ He buried his fingers in her dark curls as she moved against him, giving him no choice but to slip inside her once more; another chance to live within her beautiful body for another few, blissful minutes. ‘Me too, baby. Me too.’
There was no guarantee their future would be a perfect one. There was no guarantee it would be easy. He just had to make sure they had one. And that job started right now.
Twenty-Six
‘I still don’t get why you fucking need me,’ Lennie said, stuffing an empty beer bottle and a handful of rags into a holdall. ‘You could do this shit on your own.’
‘Quit bitching and put this on.’ Shane threw him a black beanie hat and a plain black jacket. ‘Best to try and keep you as disguised as we possibly can. They think you’re dead, but there’s a whole world of suspicion still surrounding that club. It’s the way we are. We’re designed to be permanently on our guard.’
‘I just want to get Mia, and get out of here.’
‘And once you’ve done what I need you to do you can take her. There’ll be so many freakin’ distractions going on you’ll be free to just grab her and run.’
‘That easy, huh?’
Shane looked at him. ‘If things go to plan, yeah. That easy.’
Lennie sighed, sitting down on the edge of the couch, his head in his hands, a heavy sigh racking his entire body.
‘You clear on what I need you to do?’ Shane continued, picking up the holdall and flinging it over his shoulder.
‘I still think you’re fucking crazy, man. You got no chance with Lexi…’
‘You’re not here to think, Lennie, you got that? You’re here to do what I say, and once you’ve done that you’re free to do whatever the hell it is you want, with whoever you want, to whoever you want, I really don’t care any more. I just want Coby Walker out of the way.’
Lennie looked up, shaking his head as he stared at Shane. ‘You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into, brother. You honestly think Lexi’s just gonna fall into your fucking arms the second she knows Coby’s dead? You’re out of your crazy red-neck mind…’
Shane dropped the holdall and dragged Lennie up off the couch, slamming him back against the wall, his eyes dark and dangerous. ‘The things I been through, the things I had to do to keep him safe… I should’ve just walked away, and taken Lexi with me. We could’ve made a new start, somewhere Coby wouldn’t have found us – where no one would’ve found us. I had a chance to do that, and I blew it. I was too scared, too weak to go against this club. I felt I had some kinda duty, after everything it had done for me. But I think I’ve given enough now. It’s time for some payback. I did what I did because of Lexi. And what I’m doing now, that’s all for her, too.’
Lennie shook his head again, pushing Shane away. ‘This has got nothing to do with Lexi. This is all for you, it’s what you want. She doesn’t want it. She doesn’t want you.’
Shane’s eyes were still blazing, a sneer forming on his face as he stared at Lennie. ‘And Mia – what you’re doing… You doing this for her, are you? You think she actually wants you, do you? We’re in the same boat here, brother. You and me. We ain’t no different. We just finding a way to get what we want, is all. No matter how twisted or wrong it may seem.’
Lennie’s head dropped as he let out another long sigh.
‘You have no right to stand there and preach any kinda moral ground to me, brother,’ Shane went on, stepping back and picking up the holdall. ‘No right… So, you all clear, about what’s happening?’
‘How am I gonna get inside the compound without anyone seeing me?’
‘You come round the back. There’s an alleyway just past the bank on the corner, make a left and drive up until you see a metal gate alongside a patch of wasteland. I’ll be there to let you in.’
Lennie raised his head. ‘Ten 0’clock, right?’
‘No earlier, no later. Like I said, I’ll be there to let you in, but you need to keep hidden once you’re inside. I’ll make sure nobody heads back there. That’s why I organized the fireworks – to keep people distracted. I’ll get Coby inside the clubhouse; tell him I need to talk to him about something, some club business. I’ll make sure we’re in the meeting room.’
‘And he’s gonna be drugged?’
‘I’ve got him his very own bottle of whisky. Special blend, just for our President. Should knock him out in seconds. Once he’s down I’ll give you the signal, you come inside, and head down the corridor to the chapel – third door on your left, you got that? All you need to do is light the rag, throw the bottle through the door and make your escape.’
Lennie’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Shane. ‘That place is gonna go up like a fucking inferno. Am I gonna be able to make it out in time?’
‘That’s up to you, brother.’ Shane shrugged, throwing the holdall back over his shoulder as he made for the door. ‘You’re just gonna have to run fast, I guess.’
‘And where are you gonna be?’
‘Out front, with the others. Making it look like I know shit about what’s just happened.’
Lennie couldn’t help the laugh from escaping. ‘They’re gonna know it wasn’t some accident, Shane. It’s gonna look deliberate.’
‘And we pin the blame on someone else, Lennie. Jesus, Coby ain’t no angel. He may have been turning this club around, but he still got enemies out there. People I can push the blame on to. Ain’t nobody gonna suspect me, brother.’
Lennie said nothing for a second or two. He wasn’t convinced this was going to pan out as simply as Shane seemed to think it would. There were flaws in his plan that he was obviously too blinkered to see, and that made Lennie nervous. He didn’t need this shit. He had no beef with Coby Walker. He just wanted Mia.
‘No later than ten, Lennie. Use the bike out the back, and wear the clothes I’ve given you. You know what you’re doing?’
Lennie nodded. Yeah. He knew exactly what he was doing.
***
‘I’d never tell Mia anything you didn’t want me to,’ Coby said, sitting down next to Ben on the low wall outside the clubhouse.
The party was well underway, music and chatter and the sound of children laughing echoing around the yard, the smell of barbecued meat filling the air. The atmosphere was chilled and relaxed; the compound really did feel as if it was getting back to the way it had been before Mia had turned up, and Lennie had followed. Mia Rose – was she the future Ben was looking for? Was she the future Ben needed? More importantly, was he what she really needed?
He turned his head to look at Coby, their eyes locking in an expression of mutual understanding, despite their recent clashes. ‘Thank you.’
Coby was the first to look away, taking a long drink of beer as he stared out ahead of him, at the party going on all around them. ‘What you tell her…’ Coby shrugged, watching Lexi as she talked to Kip over by the clubhouse entrance, ‘… that’s up to you.’ He turned back to face Ben. ‘But sometimes honesty, you know… It can solve a hell of a lot of heartache in the future.’
It was Ben’s turn to look away, down at the ground, focusing on a crushed cigarette butt lying next to his feet. ‘I love her, Coby. I didn’t want to, didn’t want to feel anything for anyone after…’ He closed his eyes, counting a couple of beats in his head before he opened them, raising his gaze to meet Coby’s. ‘I’ve made so many mistakes.’
Coby reached out to give Ben’s shoulder a friendly pat. ‘You’re a good lawyer, Ben. An intelligent man. You got your head
screwed on, son, and that’s a hell of a trait to have.’
‘I haven’t exactly handled things very well recently though, have I?’
‘Listen, kiddo, we all fuck up. All of us.’ Coby fixed him with a look that was both kind and understanding, which only served to confuse Ben. ‘And I should know. Me and Lexi, we’ve fucked up more than most. But you got time to put your mistakes right. You’ve left it behind, and so far that’s brought no shit to your door. Or ours. It’s been five years, Ben. Five years. You took a risk coming back here, changing your life the way you did, but it’s been five years, and nothing. No word. No comeback.’
‘No,’ Ben sighed, pushing a hand through his hair as he watched Mia dancing with a few of the other old ladies, laughing along with them like none of the past few days had happened. ‘I guess not.’
Coby took another drink, his eyes following Ben’s gaze. ‘She needs you now, brother.’
Ben turned sharply to look back at Coby, who continued to stare straight ahead.
‘If you’d wanted to join us…’ Coby’s eyes finally met Ben’s, ‘… as one of us…’ He sighed quietly, looking down at his hands clutching his bottle of beer. ‘We could have worked something out, you know?’
Ben felt something shift inside him. Something he could only describe as excitement tinged with a hint of wariness – warning. ‘You’d take an even bigger risk than the one you’ve already taken?’
Coby laughed, his eyes still down. ‘Listen, son, having you as our lawyer sends out a bigger message than you might think.’
Ben smiled, looking back at Mia who was dancing with some of the kids now, swinging a pretty little girl Ben recognized as a club member’s daughter up in the air, her squeals of delight loud enough to be heard over the heavy music. ‘I don’t know what to do, Coby.’
Coby took a packet of cigarettes from his cut pocket and offered it to Ben, who declined. ‘You can never leave it completely behind, Ben. You know that. You can’t do it, or you wouldn’t be here, working for us. But you have a choice now – one you, maybe, didn’t ever think you’d have to make, before Mia walked into your life, but…’
Ben looked at Coby, a wave of resignation sweeping over him. ‘I told her things were going back to normal.’
Coby laughed again, taking a long draw on his cigarette. ‘What’s normal, kid? Most of the time we just roll out of bed, little prepared for the shit that could come our way.’
‘Shit I’m paid to help deflect,’ Ben sighed, digging his hands deep into his pockets.
‘Shit you could sort out, no matter which way you’re serving this club.’
Ben’s eyes narrowed as he continued to stare at the Lone Riders President. ‘You’d really consider having an ex-member of the Dark Angels join this club?’
Coby shrugged, blowing smoke up into the air. ‘I like a challenge. Besides, Ben Salter was never a member of the Dark Angels.’ Coby’s eyes burned heavily into Ben’s. ‘Was he?’
Ben took a deep breath, followed by a sigh weighted with confusion. ‘I don’t know, Coby.’
‘Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to lose you as our law man. You’ve got us out of some serious crap these past few years, and you managed to do that because of the connections you have. Connections you’re always gonna have…’
‘Why didn’t you want me to use those connections to help you look for Lennie?’ Ben asked, curious as to why Coby seemed so keen to bring all this up now, whereas before he’d done nothing but shun it.
‘Because you needed to be concentrating on Mia. She needed you. We were managing okay with the help of Bear and the Newcastle chapter. But under normal circumstances...’
Ben didn’t know what to do. He’d made a decision just a few hours ago to stop even thinking about going back. But would being a part of the Lone Riders really be stepping back? They weren’t the Dark Angels. They were nothing like that club. But did he really want to be a part of any club in that capacity again? He’d rediscovered his love of riding, and that had been enough for him. Hadn’t it? To be able to get back on a Harley and ride away the shit that clouded his head. But Mia was a part of all this now. She always would be. And he wasn’t sure how it was all going to work if he kept that distance from the club he’d promised himself he would keep, while trying to forge a life with a woman who’d grown up inside the Lone Riders culture. Wouldn’t that temptation always be there? To step back into that world he’d once been such a huge part of?
‘Five years, Ben, and nothing. Remember that.’
‘You’re still taking a risk, Coby.’
Coby took one last draw on his cigarette before tossing it to the ground, grinding it into the concrete with his boot. ‘I’m not just doing this for you, Ben. Everything I do is for the good of this club. You need to remember that, too.’
He got up and walked away, and Ben watched him leave, his head spinning with the events of the past few weeks. Events that had changed his way of thinking, made him face up to things he’d been too weak to face up to before; events that had brought him to a crossroads in his life. And now he had to make a decision that could change everything. Forever.
***
‘Has he told her yet?’ Kip leaned back against the wall, his eyes never leaving Mia as he watched her chatting away happily with her new friends – her new family.
‘What do you think?’ Lexi handed him another beer, leaning back against the wall beside him. ‘She still looks happy and relaxed, doesn’t she?’
Kip looked at his sister, smiling slightly. ‘Yeah, okay. Is he gonna tell her?’
‘He was supposed to have told her earlier today, but something obviously came up.’
‘He’s not gonna bottle it, is he?’
‘Why would he do that? Too many other people know now. He doesn’t have much choice.’ Lexi looked over at Angie, who was sitting away from everyone else, on a bench over by the patch of grass near the office. ‘I’m gonna go talk to Mum.’
‘I still can’t believe it, you know? That Mia… We grew up together, Lex. All of us. We grew up together, and he didn’t say a fucking word. All those years…’
Lexi squeezed her brother’s arm, kissing him quickly on the cheek. ‘We’re just going over old ground now, Kip. And anyway, if this is how we feel about what Dad’s done, how do you think Mia’s gonna take it?’
‘It still hurts, sis.’
‘Yeah. I know it does.’
Kip looked at her, right into her eyes. ‘He isn’t good for her. Ben, I mean. He isn’t the man she thinks he is.’
Lexi frowned slightly. ‘You’ve got to get over this, Kip…’
‘I can’t stop caring about her. As her brother, I’m allowed to do that, aren’t I? Care about her?’
‘Of course you are…’
‘Then believe me when I say Ben Salter isn’t the man for her. She needs to step away from him.’
‘You can’t tell her that, Kip. It’s not your place to…’
‘She’s not safe with him, Lex.’
Lexi’s frown deepened. ‘What are you talking about? You know this could just come across as sour grapes, don’t you?’
Kip’s eyes wandered back to Mia, who was now in Ben’s arms, slow dancing to a heavy rock track as they kissed, oblivious to the world around them. ‘He isn’t the man she thinks he is.’
‘Just leave her alone, Kip,’ Lexi sighed, giving his arm one final squeeze. ‘I’m sure Mia can look after herself.’
‘Everyone thinks they know him; who he was, what he did…’
‘For Christ’s sake, Kip, come on. You’re starting to sound like a broken record.’
He stared straight at Lexi. ‘They haven’t got a fucking clue how dangerous he really is.’
Lexi’s frown returned. ‘What do you mean, dangerous? I know he used to be a biker, but…’
Kip broke the stare, sighing quietly as he once more looked over towards Mia. Maybe tonight wasn’t the time to do this. Maybe it was best to just let things roll, w
hile he did a bit more digging. He just had to keep a close eye on Ben Salter, make sure Mia stayed safe.
‘Kip?’
Lexi’s voice pulled him back from his thoughts and he looked at his sister, lightening the atmosphere with a small smile. ‘Sorry… Look, it doesn’t matter. I’m just pissed, okay? That I can’t have her… That someone else can.’
Lexi returned his smile, reaching out to take his hand, squeezing it gently. ‘You need to spend a couple of days at the Candy Cave until normal service is resumed.’
He couldn’t help laughing. ‘Yeah. Maybe you’re right. Go on. Go talk to Mum. Make sure she’s all right.’
‘Okay. See you later.’
Kip watched his beautiful little sister run over to their mum. They were all victims of Charlie’s lifelong lie, and once Mia finally found out the truth, she would be, too. And they’d all have to find their own way of dealing with the aftermath. But Kip – he’d found his. And it was the only thing that was keeping him going.
***
‘I could swing for your father,’ Angie sighed, lighting up another cigarette as Lexi sat down next to her. ‘I am so fucking angry with him, after all the shit he put me through…’
Lexi had a lot of sympathy for Angie. Because she was right. Charlie had cheated long before anything had happened between her and Tay, which didn’t make either of their actions excusable, it just confused the crap out of something that was already difficult to make sense of.
‘To think of what that poor girl went through, and Charlie just stood there and watched another couple bring her up as their own. Her own father didn’t have the balls to stand up and admit the truth.’
‘I think he regrets that now, Mum,’ Lexi said quietly, a small sliver of sympathy for Charlie now pushing its way to the surface.
Angie gave Lexi a sharp look. ‘It’s too late for regrets, darlin’. He should have spoken out, told Mia the truth, long before now. When Elliot and Tracy passed on, that was his second chance to put things right…’
Retribution (The Lone Riders MC Series Book 2) Page 20
