‘Jesus, baby…’ Ben sighed, going over to her and pulling her straight into his arms, holding her so tight Mia thought she might never escape. And if that was the case, she didn’t think she’d care. ‘Charlie told me what happened.’ He tilted up her chin so her eyes met his – eyes that were tinged with a fading fear and a growing tiredness. Dark, beautiful eyes. ‘Are you okay? I mean, I know that’s a stupid question…’
She smiled a small smile, running her fingers lightly over his cheek, noticing for the first time how much he’d let his beard grow. She hadn’t even noticed that before. ‘I’m gonna be fine, Ben. Really.’
He lowered his mouth down on to hers and she closed her eyes, falling against him as his arms wrapped around her again, his kiss soothing away all those terrifying memories, softening the edges slightly; making everything a little more bearable. ‘I love you, Mia. I’m sure of that now. I love you.’
‘Yeah,’ she whispered, her fingers touching his mouth, her thumb running over his lower lip before she leaned in to kiss him again. Kissing him was working. Kissing him was dulling the pain. A temporary fix, maybe, but it was helping. ‘I love you, too.’
They sat down on the low wall outside the clubhouse, his hand sliding into hers, holding it tight. ‘How did he get in, Mia? I mean, he didn’t have a key, and according to the others there was no obvious sign of a break-in…’
‘I must’ve forgotten to lock the back door,’ she cut in, her voice quiet as she took another drink of beer. ‘He must have got in that way.’
Ben bowed his head, his thumb stroking her knuckles as a brief silence between them took over. ‘What did he do to you?’ His voice was shaking slightly, as though he didn’t really want to know the answer to that question.
‘He wanted me,’ she replied, her tone carrying no emotion as she spoke. ‘He wanted to claim back what was his, those were his words.’
Ben turned his head away, looking out at the party that showed no sign of slowing down any time soon. All kinds of vile and pointless shit could go on around here and yet still a party could carry on as though everything was normal. And the frightening thing about all of that was that here, in this world, that was normal.
‘I fought him, Ben. Because the last thing I wanted was…’ Mia looked down at her fingers gripping the beer bottle, her knuckles turning white with the force. ‘He wasn’t gonna win. I couldn’t let him do that.’
‘Jesus!’ Ben whispered, slowly turning his head to look at her. ‘Mia, I don’t… I don’t know what to say. What to do.’
She looked up, a faint smile on her face. It was all she could manage right now. ‘I don’t want you to do or say anything, Ben. It’s all been done. Coby and Charlie are sorting it.’ She looked down again. Her eyes were beginning to feel heavy with tiredness. The alcohol was working, relaxing her so much that all she wanted to do now was sleep. And try and forget, for just a few blissful hours, that none of this was happening.
‘Come back to mine tonight, Mia. Please.’
She hadn’t even thought about where she was going to sleep. Because she quite obviously couldn’t go home. She didn’t know if she’d ever want to go back there now. ‘I don’t know, Ben.’
She felt him squeeze her hand tight, and she turned to look at him again. He was a man she still didn’t know all that much about, in reality. His past – it was still something she wasn’t sure of. He’d been a member of an MC that people feared, and the men within that club, well, she’d heard stories. And she had no idea how much truth was in any of them, but after Lennie, wasn’t she right to be wary of men like that? Men who could turn in a split second. Was Ben capable of that? And just how much of his past had he really told her about?
‘Mia?’
‘I don’t know, Ben,’ she repeated. She was really tired now. Too tired for this conversation. She stood up, letting go of his hand. ‘I’m… I’m gonna go find Lexi. See about finding a place to stay for a little while.’
Ben stood up too, his eyes almost pleading with her to come with him. To stay with him. ‘You can stay with me.’
‘I don’t think that’s a good idea. Not right now.’ She loved him. She was sure of that. And a huge part of her wanted to go with him, to be with him. But another part was telling her to back off; that what had happened tonight, maybe that was some kind of a warning. Or maybe she was just thinking irrationally, given the circumstances. She didn’t know. But keeping her distance, just for a few days, until her head was clear of all this crap – maybe that was the best thing to do. For both of them.
‘I love you, Mia. Baby, I don’t want to lose you…’
She moved closer, kissing him gently. ‘I’m not going anywhere, Ben. I just think... Give me a few days. Please.’
He threw his head back and sighed, and Mia wished with all her heart that things weren’t so complicated. Because the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him. ‘Okay. If that’s what you want.’
She smiled, a small, tired smile. But she hoped it told him that she wasn’t ending this. She wasn’t doing that. She just needed time, to be completely sure. Or as sure as she ever could be, in this messed-up, crazy, dangerous world she’d been born into.
***
Shane did a second walk through the clubhouse, checking every room, opening every door, making doubly sure that no one else was in there. There were to be no innocent victims in this. The only person he wanted to hurt was Coby.
‘You want a drink?’
Shane turned to see Coby leaning back against the bar, a fleeting panic hitting him as he realized he needed to get over there, to make sure Coby drank from the bottle of scotch he’d personally spiked. The one he’d placed underneath the counter, ready for this very moment. ‘I’ll get them.’ Shane smiled, heading over to the bar, reaching down to retrieve the whisky, glad that he was a bourbon drinker himself.
‘What’s all this about, then?’ Coby asked, taking the glass Shane held out for him. ‘Why the urgency?’
‘What I’ve got to show you, it’s in the chapel.’
Coby frowned, bringing the glass of whisky to his lips before hesitating. And that unsettled Shane. Could he tell something wasn’t right? Jesus! He wasn’t that much of a whisky connoisseur, was he? ‘The chapel?’
Shane poured himself a bourbon and walked out from behind the bar, silently willing Coby to take a sip of his drink. It was going to take at least a minute or two for the drug to kick in, and considering he had fuck all to show him in the chapel, he didn’t have time to conjure up some cover story. ‘Yeah. It’s quieter in there. More private, you know, in case anyone comes in here.’ Which he hoped to God they didn’t. But the fact he could hear the fireworks going off now meant that everyone would, hopefully, be distracted enough by all of that to forget about coming inside just yet.
‘Okay.’ Coby shrugged, finally taking a drink, following a relieved Shane into the chapel. ‘But this better be good. I kinda wanted to see my kid’s face when he saw his first fireworks.’
‘Won’t take long,’ Shane said, pushing open the chapel door, standing aside to let Coby through, pleased to see the big Scotsman was already becoming a little unsteady on his feet. ‘Sit down. You look tired.’ They hadn’t been kidding when they’d told him these drugs were fast-working. Said they could knock a man out within two minutes, and it looked as though they were spot on with that prediction. Coby’s eyes were beginning to close, even though he was fighting it.
‘Aye. It’s all catching up with me,’ Coby sighed, sitting down in his chair at the head of the table. ‘It’s been one of those nights.’
Shane smiled to himself. Coby’s speech had also become slurred now. A few more seconds and he should be out cold. ‘You sure you’re okay there, boss?’
Coby tried to lift his head, but it was so heavy. Too heavy. And Shane watched as his eyes finally closed, his body slumping forward on to the table. Walking over to him, Shane lifted his head, dropping it straight back down. Yeah. He was out of it. And he shou
ld be for a good half hour, so he’d been told. Not that he was going to survive that long anyway.
Stepping back, he reached into the inside pocket of his cut and pulled out a small bottle. Twisting off the cap he shook a few drops of gasoline over the table, on to the floor, around the doorway, making sure the corridor was laced with a little of it, too. It wasn’t necessary, nothing more than insurance. He just wanted to be sure.
Heading back into the clubhouse he did another quick check, looking out into the compound to make sure everyone was still engrossed in the fireworks. Certain the coast was clear, he headed back through the clubhouse, the smell of gasoline making him feel a mixture of sick and excited. This was actually happening!
Pushing open the back door, he saw Bear leaning against the wall.
‘You ready?’ he asked, looking down to see the Molotov cocktail in Bear’s hand.
Bear fixed him with a look. ‘You’re fucking crazy. You’re killing a man who did nothing but help you.’
‘Get inside and do your job. I’m not here for a fucking discussion on why I’m doing this. Just get it done.’
Bear held Shane’s gaze for a couple more beats, but Shane was finished with this shit. He just wanted it over.
‘Now.’ Shane’s voice was low and threatening. ‘You need to remember what’s at stake here, brother.’
Bear pushed past Shane, throwing him one last look. ‘You’ll get yours. Believe me.’
Shane laughed quietly, backing out into the yard. ‘Hey.’ He shrugged. ‘Sometimes the bad guys win.’
He watched as Bear headed off down the corridor before pulling the door closed, taking the keys out of his pocket and slowly and quietly turning the lock. Bear wasn’t going to be a problem. Because no matter how fast he could run, once he’d thrown that bottle his futile attempts at any kind of escape would be nothing more than a waste of time.
Thirty-One
Lexi looked up into the sky, her eyes as wide as any of the kids’ as she took in the explosion of colors taking place above them. Even Ozzie was transfixed, not in the least bit bothered by the noise.
‘Where’s your daddy got to, huh?’ she whispered, holding her baby boy tight, his tiny hand in hers as he continued to stare up at the sky.
‘Thought all this noise might have scared him,’ Ben said.
Lexi turned to face him, smiling. ‘Yeah, well, he’s hardly being brought up amongst peace and quiet, is he? This is nothing to him, is it, kiddo? Hmm?’
‘Coby not around?’
‘He’s in the clubhouse, talking to Shane about something. Thought he might have come out for the fireworks, though. He wanted to see how Ozzie reacted to them.’
‘And if he’d hated them? What would Coby have done then?’
Lexi smiled again, pulling Ozzie’s beanie hat further down over his head. ‘He’d probably have blamed whoever’s idea it had been.’
Ben smiled too, shoving his hands in his pockets, his eyes down on the ground.
‘You okay?’ Lexi asked, gently rubbing Ozzie’s back as another barrage of fireworks shot up into the night sky.
Ben looked up. ‘Not sure, really.’ He shrugged. ‘Been a bit of a confusing few days. And then tonight, what’s happened with Mia…’
‘Has she talked to you about it?’
‘Sort of… Look, Lexi… about my past…’
‘I don’t care about your past, Ben. As far as I’m concerned the past does nothing but hold you back; keep you from a future you could quite easily have, as long as you let nothing else get in the way.’
‘I was a member of the Dark Angels, Lexi. My dad, he… he helped found that MC.’
Lexi kept her gaze steady, her hand still rubbing Ozzie’s back. ‘I know.’
Ben dropped his gaze again. ‘I guess this changes the club’s relationship with me.’
It was Lexi’s turn to shrug. ‘Can’t see why it should. If anything it makes you even more valuable. All this means is that we now know for sure just how familiar you really are with the MC world.’
Ben’s head shot up, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at Lexi. ‘You’re not planning on getting into any crap with clubs like the Dark Angels, are you?’
‘Not if we can help it.’
‘Don’t even joke about it, Lexi. Please.’
Lexi frowned, her eyes watching every nervous movement Ben made. ‘You know, if you ever want to talk about things…’
‘There’s nothing to talk about,’ he said, holding her gaze.
‘Okay…’
All of a sudden the noise of the fireworks was drowned out by the sound of a slightly muted explosion, followed by a flash of bright light, the excited cheers of delight replaced by screams as panic rippled through the compound.
‘Jesus Christ!’ Ben gasped, turning around to see what looked like an orange glow coming from inside the clubhouse. ‘What the…?’
‘Coby?’ Lexi couldn’t raise her voice above a whisper as she held a crying Ozzie tight against her, his tiny face a mask of fear and confusion. She looked around her, her head moving so fast it was making her dizzy. But she had to find Coby. Because he’d been in there. Coby had been in there. Her eyes fell on Shane, and she ran over to him, Ozzie’s cries still ringing out around them. ‘Is Coby with you? Shane? You were in there with him… Where is he?’
‘I thought he’d followed me out…’
Lexi ran back over to the clubhouse, where Ben was desperately trying to move everyone away from the entrance. ‘I think Coby’s still in there. He’s still in there, Ben. What do we…?’
Ben didn’t hesitate, immediately turning and running into the clubhouse.
‘No, Ben… No!’ Lexi cried as Charlie pulled her back, away from the danger.
‘What’s he doing?’ Mia asked, her voice so full of panic she could hardly get the words out. ‘He’s not gone in there, has he…? Ben!’
He wasn’t listening. He knew that what he was doing was dangerous, but a natural instinct had kicked in – a need to save another brother.
Bringing his arms up to his face to try and shield it from the heat, he saw the fire raging along the corridor that led to the chapel and the apartment at the back of the building. The smell of gasoline filled the air, giving Ben no doubt that this had been deliberate. Some serious shit had gone on within this club tonight, and it would seem someone wanted to see its President dead. But not if Ben could help it.
Keeping his arms raised in an almost vain attempt to block out the smoke and the flames and the intensifying heat, he ran straight into the chapel, his eyes immediately going to the figure slumped over the table. ‘Shit!’ He pulled Coby up out of his seat, ignoring the flames that were licking at his body, the burning sensation threatening a pain he could handle. But letting another brother die – that was something else. ‘Jesus! You are one heavy motherfucker, Coby Walker,’ Ben gasped, dragging him out of the chapel, a strength he’d had to dig deep to find rising up out of him. ‘I’m gonna get you out of here, brother. You hear me? Nobody’s dying on my watch.’ Hauling the Scotsman’s deadweight along the corridor, away from the worst of the fire, Ben took a second to catch his breath, clutching Coby’s waist even tighter. The heat was indescribable, the pain from the burns on his arms and hands beginning to grow but he could shut that out, ignore it. For now. His only concern was getting Coby out of there. ‘You’re gonna be okay, big man. I’ve got you.’
He could hear the faint sound of sirens wailing in the distance, of screams and an air of panic coming from outside, and he tried to focus on the doorway, his eyes sore from the smoke and the fumes. Just a couple more steps and they were there… A couple more steps…
***
Mia’s chest was tight with panic, her eyes back on the open clubhouse doorway but nothing was happening. No one was there.
She was vaguely aware of an ambulance pulling up; of fire-fighters arriving, their yelled instructions nothing but white noise as she silently prayed for Ben to appear.
‘He’s a brave man,’ Lexi said, her voice monotone, her eyes also fixed on the clubhouse entrance. ‘But you’re right. He shouldn’t have risked his own life.’
Mia turned to look at the woman she now knew was her sister. ‘They’re gonna be okay.’ She wasn’t sure where those words had come from, or whether she really believed them. She just knew she’d had to say them, if only to give the two of them that flicker of hope they so desperately needed.
She kept her eyes on Lexi, holding out her hand, which Lexi took, and the surge of reassurance that one action had created was overwhelming. Mia could feel the tears start to course down her cheeks, unable to stop the torrent, a mixture of so many confusing emotions all gathering together in one huge, painful crescendo. She’d lost a man she’d hated beyond belief tonight. She’d killed him. He was dead, and she didn’t care. But she wasn’t prepared to lose the man she loved, too. That wasn’t going to happen, she wasn’t ready for that.
Lexi smiled at Mia, squeezing her hand as they both turned their attention back to the doorway. ‘Someone’s there,’ Mia gasped, her eyes widening as she tried to focus. ‘There… there’s someone there.’ She felt Lexi’s hand squeeze hers tighter. She was right. Someone was coming out of the clubhouse, and she felt her whole body sag with relief as she saw Ben emerge, dragging Coby with him.
‘No…’ Lexi whispered, letting go of Mia. ‘No. Coby… Coby!’
That almost detached feeling Mia had felt earlier, after she’d shot Lennie, returned with a vengeance as she watched Lexi race over to Ben, sinking to her knees as he laid what appeared to be a lifeless Coby down on the ground. And all of a sudden people were rushing around them – paramedics, other club members; the sound of more shouted instructions, a cacophony of noise filling the air. And yet, above all of that, all Mia could hear were Lexi’s desperate cries. And that was a sound that broke her heart as she, too, sank to her knees, tears still streaming down her face.
Retribution (The Lone Riders MC Series Book 2) Page 24
