‘What the fucking hell…?’
She was aware of arms catching her, holding her as she sobbed, and she didn’t know whose they were, she was just grateful for another body to hold on to.
‘It’s okay, I’ve got you. I’ve got you.’
Kip. It was Kip. ‘I don’t know what happened.’ Even her voice felt detached. As though someone else was speaking the words. ‘I don’t even know what’s happening now.’
She didn’t look at him. She didn’t want to take her eyes off the scene by the clubhouse. Where was Ben? He’d been there a second ago, she’d seen him.
‘Ben,’ she whispered, pulling herself to her feet, Kip rising with her, even though she was making every effort to disentangle herself from his arms now. That brief moment of comfort had been welcome, but she needed to find Ben.
‘Did he go in there?’ Kip asked, straining to get a better look at the commotion going on by the doorway.
Mia nodded, the panic returning. She couldn’t see Ben anywhere. ‘Coby was inside. Ben he… he went in to save him.’
Kip pushed a hand through his hair, looking at Mia. ‘Did Coby…? Is he…? What the fuck’s going on?’
Mia’s eyes briefly met his, before she looked back over at the group of people still gathered by the clubhouse. Kip followed her gaze. ‘Oh, Jesus…’ he whispered, catching sight of Lexi kneeling beside a still-seemingly lifeless Coby, her body shaking with loud, howling sobs as paramedics tried to pull her away. ‘Jesus…’
Mia watched as Kip ran over to his sister – their sister – pushing past the paramedics trying to pull her off Coby, dragging her up into his arms. It was chaos. Terrifying, unexplainable chaos. And Mia was scared. More scared than she’d ever been in her life; more scared than when Lennie had been at his worst. She was scared of losing so much tonight.
‘Ben?’ she whispered, once more looking around, trying desperately to find him. ‘Where the fuck are you, you stupid, fucking idiot!’
‘Is that any way to speak about a man who ran into a burning building?’
She swung around so fast she almost fell over, propelling herself into his arms so hard she almost knocked the pair of them off their feet.
‘The things I have to do to get your attention, huh?’ he murmured, holding her tight, and she never wanted to let him go. Never. All those doubts she’d had before, they were gone. They’d disappeared the second he’d ran inside the clubhouse. Because she knew, if he hadn’t come out of there alive, it would have destroyed her.
She pulled back from him slightly, cocking her head as she looked up at his face. There were traces of black dust on his skin, and he looked tired and worn, his eyes red and sore, but apart from that there seemed to be no more damage there. But then she looked down at his arms and hands, unable to stop the gasp of shock from escaping. His left forearm was covered in a transparent dressing that couldn’t hide the painful looking burns that lay beneath. His hands had also been burned, raised red sores starting to form across his knuckles. ‘Oh, Jesus…’ she whispered, her hand flying to her mouth.
Ben shrugged. ‘Pain I can take, Mia. Letting someone die when I know I can save them… that I can’t live with.’
Her eyes met his again, briefly, before she turned back around, just in time to see Coby being lifted into the back of an ambulance, Lexi climbing in after him. ‘Is he…?’ She swung back around to look at Ben. ‘Did you…?’
‘He’s alive,’ Ben said quietly, absent-mindedly running his hand over his forearm, forgetting the pain that would cause. ‘They think he might have been drugged, so the fire could be started without him having a chance to stop it.’ He shrugged. ‘That’s what they’re assuming at the minute, anyway. We’ll know more soon, once the police have had time to investigate. And he’s suffered a few burns, too, but apart from that, they think he’s gonna be okay.’
‘You think this was deliberate?’ Mia asked, turning back to face him.
Ben shrugged again. ‘Certainly looks that way. Gasoline had been emptied all over the place, the smell was just…’ He bowed his head, running a hand along the back of his neck. ‘Someone wanted Coby Walker dead. That’s what it looked like to me.’
Mia felt a wave of fear wash over her again. ‘Do you… do you think Lennie had anything to do with this? I mean, he could be getting Coby back for harbouring me… I don’t know, I mean, everything’s just so messed-up but… Do you think…? Could he have had something to do with it?’
‘I don’t know,’ Ben sighed, watching as the fire-fighters got to work extinguishing the flames that had taken over the clubhouse. ‘It couldn’t have been him, could it? Not after you…’ He stopped talking, just in time to realize what he was saying. ‘But it’s possible he might have had something to do with the planning of whatever the hell this was. I don’t know, Mia. Everything’s too crazy to get my head around right now.’
‘I’m sorry, Ben.’
He frowned. ‘What for?’
‘For doubting you. For telling you I wanted space, wanted to back off for a while. Because I’m not sure I do now.’
He smiled, a faint smile, because he was too exhausted to muster up anything more. But it was a smile that reached his tired eyes, and that made Mia smile, too. ‘It’s been a really shit day, hasn’t it?’
She laughed, her hand flying to her mouth again, so surprised was she to hear that sound coming out of her after everything that had happened. ‘Really shit,’ she said quietly, reaching out for his hand, then pulling back, because, surely she’d hurt him if she touched him? It must hurt. Those burns looked like one angry set of bastards.
Ben held out his hand, another smile crossing his handsome, smoke-stained face. ‘I told you, Mia. Pain I can take. You not touching me, not so much.’
She tentatively took hold of his hand, afraid to grip it too tight. ‘You should go to hospital,’ she whispered.
‘Yeah. Yeah, they want me to get checked over. I just…’ He pulled her closer, kissing her gently, and she closed her eyes, letting the feel of him wash over her, letting his kiss push all the crap to one side, just for a second or two. ‘I wanted to see you first. Wanted to make sure… I wanted to tell you how much I love you, Mia. How much I need you.’
She rested her forehead against his, closing her eyes again, enjoying the feeling of being this close to him. ‘I need you too, biker boy.’
He laughed quietly, kissing her again, the slow movement of his mouth against hers causing more tears to start falling, and when she pulled away she could see rivers in the black stains on his face where her tears had touched his skin. ‘I’d better go. The sooner I get checked out, the sooner I can come home. Because tomorrow’s another day, baby. Tomorrow’s another day.’
One thing Mia knew for sure, it couldn’t be any worse than this one.
***
Shane was angry. He was more than angry. He hadn’t figured anyone would be stupid enough to run back inside the clubhouse once the fire had started, but he obviously hadn’t banked on the enigma that was turning out to be Ben Salter. What the hell had he been doing going back in there? Nobody else was supposed to have been in danger, but now it was evident that even Coby had survived. Just. From what Shane could gather he had a few treatable burns, and he’d suffered smoke inhalation, but that wasn’t enough. Shane had wanted him dead.
Draining the last of the bourbon from the bottle he threw it at the skip, dropping his head into his hands, letting out a small, restrained cry of frustration. Coby was alive, and he was a man who wasn’t going to let this go. Should he run? That would just make him look guilty. He had to take this one day at a time; see how things panned out.
Walking back around to the front of the compound, he stopped, his eyes going straight to the clubhouse doorway. A fire-fighter was dragging something else – someone else – out of the building, and this time Shane couldn’t stop a flicker of a smile from appearing. The huge bulk of Bear’s lifeless body was a sight that warmed his heart. Yeah. There was a
way out of this mess, of course there was. Ben Salter may have saved Coby’s life, but Shane could be the one to explain why it had been in danger in the first place; deflect any blame from him on to someone else completely.
So his plan hadn’t worked this time. Should he take that as a sign to back off? Stop this dangerous game of revenge and retribution and just accept that Lexi had made her choice? No. That wasn’t the kind of man Shane was. This mess was going to turn out to be a lucky escape for him. Giving Bear no chance of getting out of there alive had been the last-minute decision he was now glad he’d taken. A little bit of insurance. And it had negated any risk there might have been of Bear doing his worst and calling his bluff. Shane really would have hated to have had to bring harm on those beautiful kids of his. As it was, they were just going to have to learn to cope without their daddy. Shit happened. In this world.
Backing off around the corner again he leaned against the wall, his smile growing wider. Yeah. Shit happened. And everyone was just going to have to get used to that.
Thirty-Two
‘I had no idea someone was still in there.’ Ben gratefully took the mug of coffee Angie had just poured for him.
‘How could you have known, darlin’?’ She joined him at the large round table in her and Tay’s dining-kitchen. The whole house was full of Lone Riders and their families, the sound of children playing and the noise of the TV kicking out some sitcom in the background a welcome relief from the events of just a few nights ago. But those events still played heavy on peoples’ minds, which was why everyone was spending a lot of time at Angie’s. She had a knack of making everything seem like it was slowly getting back to normal. She fed everyone, kept them busy, gave them all some purpose, and it felt like a safe place to be right now. Besides, it was where Mia was staying, until she decided what to do about the house where – well, where Lennie had died.
‘He was in the corridor, right beside the door. The same door I dragged Coby out of, Angie. Why didn’t I see him?’
She reached out and took his hand – the one that had suffered the least burns, although, in reality, his hands had got off lightly. The burns there were nothing more than superficial. Nowhere near bad enough to stop him from using them. He could still write, still ride. And, most importantly, he could still touch Mia. Still hold her. ‘You weren’t to know, Ben.’
He looked at Angie, smiling slightly. ‘How’s Coby?’
‘Oh, you know him. Acting like nothing happened. A few more battle scars ain’t gonna bother that man.’
‘He’s only just got out of hospital.’
Angie took a sip of coffee, looking out of the French Doors as Tay, Red and Callie played with the kids in the back yard, their laughter ringing out loud – the most beautiful sound. ‘Coby never has been one to relax when there are things to be done. And he wants that clubhouse back to its best as fast as he can.’
‘Maybe I should go down there. See if they need any help.’
‘No, honey, there’s no need. He’s got Kip, Luca, Jesse and heaven knows how many others over there with him. He’s got enough pairs of hands, he doesn’t need any more. You stay here. I’m sure Mia’ll be down soon. I didn’t like to wake her too early. She’s only really stared sleeping properly this past night or two.’
‘Is she okay?’ Ben asked. If he was completely honest, he was still trying hard to get his head around the events of the past few weeks. He’d been through some serious shit with the Dark Angels, yet none of it had drained him, emotionally, as much as this had.
‘She’s getting there, darlin’. Just needs a little bit of TLC, is all.’ Angie smiled at him. A warm smile. One that gave Ben a huge surge of hope that this could all work out. For most of them.
‘And what about you?’ Ben began, taking another welcome sip of hot, strong coffee. ‘I mean, finding out about Charlie being Mia’s dad. You getting used to all that?’
Angie looked down into her mug, swirling the coffee around and around before she lifted her gaze to meet Ben’s. ‘She’s my son and daughter’s blood, Ben. She’s their sister. That means she’s my family too, and I’m gonna treat her and love her like she was my own.’
Ben smiled at Angie. She was a strong woman. A determined woman. Mia was lucky to have her in her life. ‘Yeah. I kinda wish you were my mom.’
Angie laughed, standing up and going over to the toaster, popping in two slices of thickly-cut bread. ‘You know you’re always welcome here, darlin’.’
‘Even though you know who I am now?’
Angie leaned back against the counter, folding her arms, her eyes locked on Ben’s. ‘I know who you used to be, honey. And that ain’t important. It’s who you are now that matters.’
‘Yeah. Yeah, I guess it is.’ He dropped his gaze, briefly focusing on the small scars that now decorated his hands before he looked back up at Angie. ‘Charlie still around?’
Angie nodded, turning her head to look out of the window. ‘After everything that happened he wanted to hang around a little while longer. Make sure everyone’s okay.’
Ben’s eyes went to the door leading into the kitchen as it opened, and Mia walked in, all dressed and ready for the day in a short black leather skirt and red shirt, her dark curls hanging loose around her shoulders. She looked beautiful; the lingering fear and confusion that had lived on her face the past few days finally seemed to be leaving her.
‘Hey, baby.’ He smiled, standing up and going over to her. He had an overwhelming urge to protect her now. To let nobody near her, nobody touch her ever again, but he knew he had to control that. She didn’t want to be protected, she’d told him as much. But she wanted to be with him, and that was enough. That was all he’d wanted to hear – that she wanted to be with him.
‘Hey.’ She retuned his smile, allowing him to pull her close, responding to his kiss by sliding her arms around him, her fingers playing with the hair at the back of his neck as their mouths moved together in a slow, steady rhythm. And as much as Ben wanted to take her upstairs and make love to her – the need to be that close to her was taking over his every waking thought right now – he knew he had to take things slowly. She wasn’t ready yet, to take that step again. And he had to respect that.
‘You fancy a ride out today? Grab some lunch somewhere, maybe take a walk down by the river?’
She kissed him again, a little longer this time; a little deeper. ‘Let’s go to your place.’
Ben frowned. ‘Why? There’s nothing happening over there, everyone’s here…’
‘Exactly.’ She looked at him, her eyes sending him a silent message he got loud and clear.
‘Oh. Okay.’ He grinned, before his expression suddenly turned more serious. ‘You sure? I mean…’
‘I’m not the kind of girl who likes to be wrapped in cotton wool, Ben. And right now, that’s what everyone’s doing. I killed a man, he deserved it.’
Even Ben had to flinch at the coldness of her words. But maybe that was the only way she could deal with what had happened.
‘If it hadn’t have been me who’d killed him, someone else would’ve.’
‘Yeah,’ Ben sighed, letting go of her and picking up his mug, draining it of the last dregs of coffee. ‘You’re probably right.’
‘You ever killed anyone?’
He narrowed his eyes as he stared at her. ‘Is that important?’
She shrugged, walking over to the kitchen and grabbing a slice of toast from the counter, opening the fridge to get the butter. ‘Just wondered, that’s all. Given the MC you’re connected to.’
‘I’m not connected to it any more, Mia.’
She turned around, biting into her toast, throwing him a smile as she chewed. ‘I know.’
Ben turned to look out of the French doors. The back yard was a picture of domestic normality, if you ignored the bearded men dressed in jeans and leather cuts racing around after the kids, laughter and playful squeals still filling the air.
He turned back to face Mia. ‘So. We g
etting out of here or what?’
***
‘You should be at home. Resting.’
Coby looked at Lexi, his expression telling her to back off. ‘I’m not an invalid, darlin’. And you know I hate sitting around doing nothing. It was bad enough in the hospital.’
‘And let’s hope you don’t need to go there again any time soon, because I wouldn’t be surprised if they barred you. You make a really crappy patient, do you know that?’
He grinned at her, throwing her a wink. ‘Some of those nurses loved me.’
Lexi couldn’t help smiling back. ‘Only because you turned on the charm.’
He walked over to her, tilting up her chin and kissing her mouth. ‘Aye. But there’s only one woman I’m ever gonna use that charm on, and mean it.’
‘Who might she be, then? Must be one tolerant bitch, that’s all I can say.’
He pulled her into his arms, the kiss deepening, his hand pushing her hard against him. ‘Maybe going home’s a good idea, huh?’ he murmured, his other hand sliding under her T-shirt and beneath her bra. ‘It’s almost lunch time, after all.’
Lexi’s laugh was low and throaty as he squeezed her breasts, his mouth covering her neck in tiny, warm kisses. ‘Oh, so, now you want to skive off?’
He looked at her, his expression a little more serious. ‘Everything that’s happened; these past few days they’ve… they’ve made me realize what’s really important around here. This club is a family, Lex. And me and you, we’re the head of that family. So it’s our duty to make this compound a safe place to be.’
She ran her fingers over the leather of his cut, lingering on his President’s patch. ‘We still don’t know for sure what went on that night, Coby.’
Retribution (The Lone Riders MC Series Book 2) Page 25
