Redemption
Heather Dahlgren
Contents
Shattered Souls MC
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
A Note From The Author
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Also by Heather Dahlgren
Copyright © 2020 Heather Dahlgren
Cover Design: Emma Nichole
Editor: Literary Edits
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information and retrieval system without express written permission from the Author/Publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Created with Vellum
For anyone looking for a little hope
Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness. DESMOND TUTU
Shattered Souls MC
Brooks Madden - President
Enzo Hynes - Vice President
Zane Madden - SGT at Arms
Kace Chambers - Member
Riley Giddens - Member
Porter Lawson - Member
Alex Mannes - Member
Finn Ganley - Prospect
Vegas Kings MC
Lou Kingsley - President
Dom Veneto - Vice President
Sal Defeo - SGT at Arms
Harper Kingsley - Daughter of the President
Thomas Guido - Member
Marco Bassett - Member
1
Zane
She’s lifeless in my arms. I’m covered in blood, her blood, but I can’t let go. I’m holding her tightly to my chest, rocking on my knees, and screaming her name. I can’t hear it though. The only sound is my heart pounding in my ears....my shattered heart.
“Zane.”
I jump up and Kace puts his hand on my shoulder. “Is she awake?” I ask, frantically.
“No brother, not yet. You were asleep, not having a nightmare again.”
“Fuck off,” I say, pushing his hand off me.
Every time I close my eyes, I relive her getting shot. It plays like a damn movie, from the second I walked into Kingsley’s office to the second I felt her go limp in my arms.
“She’ll be awake soon. Remember when I was shot? It took a long time for me to wake up after surgery. You just need to be patient,” he says, looking from her to me. I see the pain radiating from him and it causes my own to intensify.
I run my hand through my hair and stand up. “I’m not a patient man.”
I walk over to her bed and kiss her forehead, moving her hair behind her ear the best I can with the oxygen tube wrapped around it. She hasn’t opened her eyes since she was shot. Brooks had to pull me off of her so the doctors could evaluate her. Her pulse was so faint, I thought the minute I let her go, she’d let go. And I was right. The minute I was pulled away, she all but stopped breathing. They immediately inserted a chest tube, which got her stable enough to run tests. The bullet hit her right heart atrium and ventricle and inferior caval vein. It was lodged in the muscles in her back. She had a huge right hemothorax, too, so she was rushed into surgery. The doctors say everything went well, but I won’t believe it until she wakes up.
“Come on brother, let's have a smoke and get something to eat,” Kace suggests.
My eyes never leave Harper’s still lifeless body. My heart squeezes in my chest seeing all the tubes and wires connected to her. The machine beeping, reminding me her heart is in fact still beating. “I can’t leave her,” I whisper.
He’s next to me in a few steps and rests his hand on my shoulder. “You aren’t leaving her; you’re taking a break. You still have blood on your hands, all over your clothes. You need to clean yourself up before she wakes up. It’s bad enough she’s gonna see that ugly face, she shouldn’t immediately be reminded of what happened.”
I know he’s right, but the thought of not being here when she opens her eyes is ripping me apart. She’s here because of me. That bullet was meant for me and she stepped in front of it. It terrifies me, infuriates me, and astonishes me.
When I woke up and found the note, she left me, telling me she loves me and was handling her father, I lost my mind. I almost killed Finn for letting her get out the door, but Kace quickly reminded me I didn’t notice she got out of bed. My fist met his jaw. It didn’t stop him though, he had Finn stay with Ivy and we rushed to Club Kingsley. I refused to wait for the others and amidst his cursing, I rushed in.
I never thought it would end the way it did. Harper being shot, Kingsley slipping away, and me pissed off at the world.
“Harper, I’m going to get cleaned up for you. I promise I won’t be long. I love you,” I whisper, kissing her still lips. Kace slaps my back and I turn to him. “I want someone outside her door. I want my mom in here, and I want someone outside this wing of the hospital.”
He nods and calls Porter, who rushes in. I tell him to guard this room with his life and he gives me his word. Feeling uneasy, I walk out of her room. The walls of this hospital feel like they are closing in on me. When we get to the waiting room and everyone rushes over to me, vacating the ugly brown leather chairs.
“How is she?” Brooks asks.
“Any change?” Riley questions.
The questions keep coming, but I walk away and grab my mom in a tight hug.
“My sweet boy,” she whispers. “How are you?”
“Not good, Ma. I need you to sit with her while I go clean up. Nora and Gloria can go with you, but I need you to make sure she stays alive until I’m back.”
Her sad eyes search mine as she touches my face. “Go, I’ll be by her side until you’re back.”
“We will, too,” Nora chimes in.
I simply nod, turning back to the guys. “No news, she’s stable.”
“I’m gonna take Z home. He needs a shower and something to eat,” Kace says.
Brooks puts his arm around my shoulders and moves close to my ear. “We need to sit down at the table and talk, Z. I know you’re hurting, but we need to figure shit out.”
“I know.”
“Go shower, get some food, and we’ll meet at the club in an hour.”
I know he’s doing what needs to be done, but right now, I feel like everyone and everything is against me. So, his simple request gets the fire in me starting to burn. I jerk away from him but before I can say anything, Kace grabs my arm.
“Let’s go.”
Once we get to my place, I take a shower. The water pounds on me as I brace my hands on the white tiled wall in front of me. I let my head hang and allow the fear, defeat, and bitterness wash over me. All I ever wanted to do was protect her and I failed miserably. I’ve never felt so much at once. I need to finish everything that was star
ted. I will no longer sit back and wait. Whoever gets in my way, will fucking die.
“Pizza’s here, brother,” Kace yells through the door.
I get out of the shower and dry myself. I’m careful not to go roughly over the stitches in my leg. Although, I no longer register the pain. My only focus is on revenge. I put on clean clothes and meet Kace in the kitchen.
He hands me a beer and tips his toward me. “Feel better?”
I tip my beer back, letting the cold liquid run down my throat. I tilt the bottle and study the way the label wraps around it, while the condensation runs down the brown bottle. “Do I feel better?” I look away from the bottle and lock my angry eyes with Kace’s. “Is Kingsley dead? Is Harper awake? Did we find whoever it is that is leaving threatening notes? Have we figured out why the Vegas Kings tied up our innocents? Oh, and did we figure out why the fuck Kingsley said I stole his daughter and his drugs?” I throw the half empty bottle of beer at the wall and turn around punching the cabinet door. “No Kace, a fucking shower didn’t make me feel any fucking better,” I yell, breathing heavily. The anger is tearing its way out of me and I can’t stop it.
“You done?” he asks, biting his pizza.
“Fuck you.”
“You’re pissed, I get that. Eat this pizza, drink a beer, and fucking talk to me.”
I scrub my face and let out a frustrated groan. “I’m more than pissed,” I say, taking the pizza he offers me.
“Look, I know we have a lot of shit to figure out. That’s why we’re going to the club. Let’s figure it out together. You’re putting it all on yourself and you don’t need to,” he says.
A hollow laugh escapes me as I sit down. “You don’t get it, brother. This is all on me. I started this war. I lit the match, I poured the gasoline, and I stood by watching it explode around me. Brooks said any blood was on my hands and he was right.”
“Z, you did what you had to do. It didn’t go the way you wanted. That’s nothing new for either of us. We just need to figure out how to move forward. There is no blood on your hands, it’s on us all,” he hisses.
He’s wrong. I know he likes to be logical, but right now nothing is clear. My girl is fighting for her life and that’s on me.
“What did you say about taking his daughter and his drugs?” Kace asks, interrupting my thoughts.
I finish the pizza and a fresh beer, leaning back in the chair. I light a cigarette as I lift my shoulders. “That’s what Kingsley said when I was walking in. I have no idea what the fuck he meant by it.”
“We’ve never interfered with his drugs,” Kace says, more to himself.
I shake my head, watching the smoke rise above me. “Sometimes, I think more is going on than we know.”
“Like what?”
The chair scrapes on the floor as I lean forward. “Kingsley started a strip club, why? Because Harper wanted it? He’s never done anything for her. Why would he give her total control of a strip club? To hurt us? Come on, man, if that was it, don't you think he would’ve opened one years ago? I think he did it because something happened with his drugs.”
Kace lights the joint he just rolled and leans back. “Fuck.”
“No shit.”
He passes it to me, and I take a long hit, hoping it relaxes me even a little. When he takes it back, he stares at it for a minute. “You think Brooks and Enzo are in something dirty?”
“Honestly, I have no idea, but I’m gonna find out.”
“Let’s worry about everything else before we start shit we aren’t even sure about,” Kace suggests.
I take a few more hits of the joint and hold it in as long as I can. When I exhale, I smile. “Someone will talk.”
He shakes his head, unsure if I’m right. I will get someone to talk though. One of the Vegas Kings will plead for his life by giving me the information I want. When I get it, I’ll kill him anyway. But not before I know the truth for sure. No more lies, no more secrets. It’s time for revenge and redemption. I don’t give a shit who goes down because of it.
“Can we make this fast? I need to get back to Harper,” I say, looking around the long wooden table.
“Of course,” Brooks states. “Our number one priority is finding Kingsley. I can’t believe that asshole got away.” He turns his eyes to me, and a disgusted laugh leaves me.
“You trying to blame me again? Holding my girl in my arms while she is bleeding from a bullet that was meant for me, instead of keeping my focus on Kingsley? That’s on me, huh?” I yell, slamming my hands on the table.
“Relax,” Kace hisses.
“That’s not what I said, Z. That’s your guilt, not mine. I said we need to find him,” Brooks says.
I lean across the table to grab him, but Riley yanks me back. “Enough. No one is to blame, and no one should be made to feel guilty. Every one of us would have done the same shit and you know it,” he growls, focusing on Brooks.
This room, a room we spend so much of our time in, feels like it’s suffocating me. The dark red walls, the only window covered with black blinds, and the Shattered Souls symbol painted on the wall, mocking me and my failures. I need to get the fuck out of here.
“Everyone needs to calm the fuck down. We need to find Kingsley, let’s focus on that,” Alex says.
“I don’t think he’ll hide. He’s not a coward. He needs to be in control, and he’ll be back at Club Kingsley, if he isn’t already. We have Finn and Alex sit on the club. Riley and Porter find out what’s being said on the streets. Kace and I will find out where Dom is. He was bleeding in the hallway the last I saw him, so he had to get medical attention,” I say, lighting a smoke.
Brooks and Enzo exchange a look and when Brooks nods, Enzo looks down the table. “Z is right. While you all do what he said, Brooks and I have to meet up with the Italians. We’ll all meet back at the hospital and check in.”
“What are you meeting the Italians for?” I question.
With the thoughts of what Kingsley said in the front of my mind, my defense is already up. The Italians only come around when they need something, or when Brooks makes a shady deal with things we don’t need or want.
“Marco wants to discuss a job he wants done,” Brooks says. It could be true, but I’m not sure of anything anymore. “Let’s get this shit done. Zane, if there is any change with Harper, you’ll let us know?”
I grab my cigarettes and shove them in my pocket. “Yeah.”
Kace drives us to the hospital in his pickup. I stare out the side window watching the blurry world pass by. “Do you believe them?”
“I don’t know, brother. I think until we have a reason not to, we have to believe them,” he says.
I shake my head, but don’t say anything. I need to get back to Harper, she still isn’t awake. Once I know she’s alright, I’ll fight this war and I’ll fucking win.
2
Harper
Muffled voices surround me. I’m alive? I try to open my eyes, but they refuse to give. A warmth blankets me and I’m once again pulled under.
***
3
Zane
I blow out a breath and lean over in my chair. “Come on, babe. Open your eyes already,” I whisper, kissing her hand.
It feels like a lifetime since I’ve seen her deep blue eyes and heard her soothing voice. It’s hard to believe it was just last night. I’m starting to feel like an entirely different person and I’m not sure I like him. I need something to happen-- anything.
“Hey,” Ivy whispers, walking in.
I nod my head at her. “Hey.”
She puts down a bag and moves to the other side of the bed. “I brought some of her things. When she wakes up, she’ll probably be pissed about this gown she’s in,” she says, with a smile.
I force a grin and squeeze Harper’s hand. “She’ll be glad you’re here.”
It’s one thing I do know for sure. She didn’t say it to me, but I could see the happiness in her face when Ivy was around. It makes me glad because
she needs a friend. Someone she can talk to that has no judgement. Ivy seems to be that person. She’s been here since Finn brought her last night, sitting quietly in the corner of the waiting room. She’s not comfortable with the club, you can tell easily by the way she focuses on anything, but them. But she’s dealing with it for Harper. When I got to the hospital from the club, I told her she could come into the room. She cried when she saw her but pulled herself together quickly.
“Have the nurses been in?” she asks.
“Not since they switched shifts.” I can’t take my eyes off of Harper. My heart feels like it’s struggling to beat at this point. I lift her hand to my mouth and kiss it again, keeping it close to my mouth. I sigh and close my eyes.
“She’s gonna wake up soon, Zane,” Ivy whispers.
My eyes slowly open and I stare at her. “I’ve done this before with Kace. He was shot, too.”
She nods her long brown hair falling over her shoulders as she chews her lip. “Harper told me.”
“This shit wasn’t easy then and it’s impossible now. I know she’s gonna wake up, she won’t leave me,” I whisper, squeezing my eyes shut to keep back the tears.
A knock on the door draws my attention. “Z, can we talk a second?” Kace asks. His eyes drift to Ivy and he gives her a small grin. “Hey.”
“Hey Kace,” she says, and I notice her sad brown eyes begin to get glassy.
“Ivy stay with her until I’m back. If anything happens, call my cell immediately.”
Redemption (Shattered Souls MC Book 2) Page 1
