BoyScout (The Rebels MC)

by Avery Abbott

  “He roofied her.” A piece of me was relieved knowing it wasn’t something worse like heroine, although, when she woke she was going to feel like she was experiencing the world’s worst hangover.

  I was fully aware of the harsh look Smokey was wearing as he stared me down, ready to kick my ass, but that was the least of my worries. Smoke’s jaw ticked. “Scout, go out and release Slider.”

  “Fuck no. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “That’s an order,” he hissed. An order I’d normally jump through hoops to obey. I gripped her tighter, her eyes fluttering open and closed, soothing her, refusing to leave her.

  My eyes landed on Smokey moving toward us, ready my haul ass away, but Hound stopped him by stepping in between us. “Give him a minute, brother. It might be your kid, but in his mind, it’s his woman. He needs this. Give it to him.”

  His nostrils flared, but he listened to Hound and turned. They all left us alone again, the door ajar as she moaned my name. I kept holding on, reassuring her it was me and she was safe. A few minutes later there was a commotion and then Fiona was running in the room, her hand clamped over her mouth in shock.

  “Shit! Shit! I’m so sorry I wasn’t here.” She spoke more to Shaw than me as she swiped Shaw’s brown hair behind her ear. “Is she okay? Did he hurt her?”

  “I don’t know yet, but yeah, she’ll be okay, because I’m making sure of it.”

  Hound poked his head in. “Scout, we’re taking him to the clubhouse basement. Fi, you got to stay with her.”

  “Of course.”

  “I’m staying.” I held her close to me.

  “Brother, Smokey wants you on your bike and back to the club. Fiona can stay with her and keep her safe, you know that. Nothing will happen to her, but evil happened here tonight and evil needs to be dealt with.”

  I knew he was right. I needed answers and revenge. I laid her back down, resting my forehead to hers. “No more, Sunshine. No more being afraid.” I pressed my lips to her dry ones, wiped my eyes, and followed Hound. I stopped short at the door.

  “Fi, please make sure she’s safe.”

  She nodded. “I will, Honey.”

  Chapter 39

  SMOKEY

  “We’re taking him to the warehouse, instead.”

  “All right. Let’s go.”

  “You stay put, Slider you too.”

  “I’m fucking coming, Mitch. He’s mine.” Scout shoved me.

  “I know she means something to you son, so I’m going to give you a pass on how you’re addressing me and putting hands on me.

  Slider came to his side. “Dude, just stay back, she’s going to need you. She doesn’t know them like she does you. Let them handle Chucky.”

  I could tell the kid wanted to rip my heart out for making him miss out on his revenge, and as much as I hated to admit it, that was why I made the request, because I was thinking the same way as Slider. She needed him. Not me.

  Hawk and Kick rode their bikes; Hound and I took my truck with Charles Conley lying on the back seat, bound and gagged and heading down the Silver Strand in Coronado. Pulling into the deserted area and parking, I saw Hawk take a kit out of his saddlebag as I hauled Chuck’s ass from my truck.

  His eyes widened as he took in where we were heading. It was old, a few windows up high, and most importantly no neighbors. It was back in a dead alley and had been like that for years, we’d always used it back in the day to handle our business.

  I hauled him in and shoved him onto one of the chairs. “Tie him up.” Hawk opened his bag and pulled out some rope and finished my request. I took out Chuck’s gag for answers.

  He peered around, taking each one of us in. “What the hell is this?”

  “You’re not asking the questions; we are.”

  His eyes zeroed in on our cuts. “Man, I don’t want any trouble. I have no beef with you guys.”

  “Well, you see, that’s where you’re wrong. Shaw is my daughter.”

  “Who the fuck is Shaw?”

  “You probably know her as Harley.”

  Recognition dawned on him as he swallowed. “Fuck.”

  Hawk handed off a hammer. I let my hands glide over it. “Yeah, fuck is right.”

  “Man, I didn’t know.”

  “That makes two of us. Next question, we killed you.”

  “What?” he asked shocked.

  “Three weeks ago on the 101. You went sailing down a canyon. Explain.”

  His mouth dropped open. “That wasn’t me, obviously. It was my secretary. You killed Meg. She was taking my car in for detailing. I thought it was an accident.” He quivered. “Holy shit! You were trying to kill me.”

  “Oh, fuck,” Kick muttered. And, I knew he was thinking we just killed an innocent and that was never a good thing.

  “No, you actually did me a favor,” Charlie said.

  “I said, explain.”

  “Meg and I were having an affair for the last few years. She was into some kinky shit and got me involved. In the beginning, it was just basic dominatrix shit and I was hooked. My wife, I love her, but she’s not very appealing in the bedroom, vanilla as you could get, and I would never ask her to do the shit I started enjoying.”

  “You mean, like murder women?”

  He shook his head. “The first one was an accident. Meg had been teaching me how to choke someone. I held on too long. The next few went off without any issues, fucking hot as hell, but then Gina.”

  “She the second?”

  He nodded. “We both choked her.”

  “How the fuck did you manage that?”

  He closed his eyes. “She was bent over the bed. Meg was getting her pussy sucked while I fucked Gina from behind. We both latched on, we came hard, harder than we ever did before. We got off on it.”

  “Fucking twisted shit, man.”

  “I know.”

  “And what were your plans for Shaw?”

  “Originally the same. Meg and I went into the club early summer and saw her. We both wanted her. She’s fucking spectacular.”

  I gritted my teeth. “Then what?”

  “I liked her too much, so I changed the plan. Meg was pissed, so I bumped up the trip to save Harley. I wanted her for myself.”

  “You ever touch her?”

  His eyes widened in fear. “No, man. I mean a little. She would dance for me, sit down and talk afterwards.

  “You talked?”

  “Yeah, that’s how we did it.”

  “Gain her trust,” Hound moved next to me, knowing what he meant.

  “Yeah.”

  “And she did?”

  “Yes, completely. She told about her mom dying once, so she gave me an in. I knew I could use it to my advantage.”

  “So why tonight? Why roofie her?”

  “She didn’t show and I still wanted her, but I knew she would say no to my proposition, and especially no, to ever adding Meg into the mix, but then she was killed so I didn’t have to worry about her anymore.”

  “So you decided to rape my daughter?”

  He swallowed thickly and nodded. “She wouldn’t if I didn’t.”

  “Why Shaw, besides her looks?”

  He looked down and then back to me, his eyes remorseful. “I never had anything so sweet, or at least not for a long time. I felt like I lost who I was, and then thought, maybe if Harley, who was like an angel to me, could love me, then I’d find myself again, the guy I used to be. So, I promised her things. Gifts, money, whatever, to win her.”

  I grimaced, repulsed. “Jesus Christ.”

  Hawk added. “What about your family?”

  He shrugged. “We have the obligatory sex once a month or so, and me on top. I keep her because of my kids and the status. She puts up with my bullshit for the money and the lifestyle she loves.”

  “So you planned on fucking taking my daughter without her permission to get off because your wife is a dead fish in bed?”

  “I swear, I won’t go near her ever again. I won’t
even step foot in San Diego for business purposes. I told you the truth.”

  “Yeah, we know.” I pulled out my .44 and aimed.

  He wailed. “No! Please, no. I have kids! They need me.”

  “Trust me, they’re better off without a psychopath like you.”

  Then I fired a bullet into his skull. It had been a long time since I pulled the trigger against another human being, but it felt right. It felt good. And I did it with no remorse, because it meant protecting my kid.

  I turned. “Hound, you and Kick get rid of the body. Hound, toss me your bike keys. I’ll drive your hog back. You take the truck to fucking Tijuana if you need to. You make him disappear, permanently.

  “Yeah, bro. You got it.”

  A while later, I was sitting alone back at my place, a glass of bourbon on the rocks in my hand. I yanked out my cell out and called Fiona, knowing before the next vote, I needed answers. It had been a long time since I’d gotten my hands bloody, but I didn’t regret killing that son of a bitch. He deserved to be gone from this Earth.

  “This is unexpected.”

  “Fi, I need a favor.”

  “The last time you needed a favor, I had to take the morning after pill.” It was eighteen years ago. Both of us were drunk, she was a clinger who I liked, and we’d had drunken sex several times unprotected one night when I was feeling down and out over Dee.

  “I said I was sorry for that shit and it was a long time ago.”

  “What is it? What do you need?”

  “I need you to go to Shaw and talk to her about her future plans—what’s she thinking kind of stuff. And, I need some kind of info on Scout. I need you to wear a camera and mic. We have a big vote coming up and it could mean bad news for the kid.”

  “He’s like your son, Mitch.”

  “I know. Club rules, Fi.”

  “When do you need it by?”

  “Within forty-eight hours. I’ll be over first thing and set you up.”

  “Okay, I’ll do my best.”

  In another life, I would’ve loved her and made her my old lady, but my heart couldn’t let go of Dee. Fiona knew that and accepted it, but refused to be number two to another woman.

  Sometimes I wonder if she’d be interested in starting over from scratch, but whenever I thought of her like that, I felt guilty to Dee, since I promised her she was the only who would ever hold a spot in my heart.

  Chapter 40

  SHAW

  It was just past nine and I was ready to finish a book I had started when a knock rapped at my door. I peeked through the hole to see Fiona.

  I opened the door. “What a nice surprise.”

  “You look cozy.” I was in a pair of yoga pants and my favorite T-shirt as of late, one of Scout’s Rebels. My hair was pulled up in a ponytail, my face freshly washed and ready for bed.

  I eyed the bottle in her hand then saw fluff in the other. “What’s that?”

  “Fireball and a kitten.”

  “What’s Fireball? And why do you have a kitten?”

  “Dear Lord, you have a lot to learn. You always have those little cinnamon heart things in a bowl; well, girl, this is liquid hearts on your tongue.”

  “I don’t feel like drinking tonight, Fi. I have a big day tomorrow.”

  Her face dropped. “What’s tomorrow?”

  “I’m going up to La Jolla. There’s a yoga studio hiring.”

  “That’s great.” She pushed past me, shoving the kitty in my hands. “We need to celebrate a new job.”

  “I didn’t get it yet, Fiona. Nothing to celebrate.” I petted her. “What’s her name?”

  She waved me off. “You will. I just know it. And, she doesn’t have one yet.”

  She strolled to my kitchen, took two glasses down, filled them with ice and poured Fireball into each of them. “Why didn’t you name her?”

  “The Fireball is from me; the kitten is from Mitch. He said you mentioned you wanted one when you two had dinner, so he knew someone down at the shelter and she called him saying a beautiful litter of them had been dropped off this morning. He asked me to bring her to you. Anyway, I have the info, instructions and some pet supplies next door. I’ll bring them over after.”

  “Really? She’s mine?” I was so excited I hadn’t even paid attention to her pouring the drinks.

  “She is, Sugar.”

  “Fine, one drink,” I said, as she handed it off to me.

  “Sure, Sugar. One drink.”

  An hour later, I pledged my love to a yummy drink. I was done with Piña Coladas and moving on to Fireball. I loved it and I loved my new kitten. I was on drink number three, feeling very good when she grabbed my hand. We had soft music playing in the background—of course, I had on Pandora and the Stevie Nicks channel.

  “I ever tell you how your dad and I had a little thing?”

  “No, you did?” I placed the cat down beside me.

  “Don’t be mad at me. I never met your mom.”

  “I’m not.” And, I wasn’t. I mean, it felt weird, but I adored her and it had been a long time ago.

  She filled my glass with more. “I loved him, but your mother’s ghost was too hard to compete with.”

  I grimaced. “I’m sorry.”

  “What about you?”

  I leaned my head back on the couch, picking up the cat and coming to the name Stevie for her. “What about me?”

  “You and Scout?”

  I pouted. “He hates me.”

  “I doubt that. How do you feel about him?”

  I turned and sat Indian style on the couch, facing her. “I think I was the one who messed it up. He kept trying to love me and I kept pushing him away. He’s such a good man, Fiona. I messed up, I know I did and I’m afraid I lost him forever.”

  “Why did you push him away”

  “I think I’m afraid to love him completely like my mom did my dad.”

  “That was a beautiful love, Shaw. One that ended with you.”

  “Was it, Fi? She left to save us. What if the same thing happens and I give him my heart and get knocked up, and then run because they killed someone. They did, I think… anyway…for me.”

  “If they did, they deserved it.”

  “I love him, Fi, so much it hurts. I was fond of him and needed a friend, but when he held me all night in his arms after Garrett attacked me.” My head fell back onto the couch. “I should’ve seen it coming. I fell in love and I knew I shouldn’t because of the MC. My dad is part of him and I was afraid of the stupid rule and afraid of that me being with him, meant Smokey would be in my life, so I kept pushing him away, when really I needed to pull him closer. I was so afraid of loving him completely for him to walk away because of those rules or for him to go off with someone like those girls who go to the club all the time to get some.”

  “You don’t want Smokey in your life?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. I think so.”

  “Do you plan on staying here?”

  “I can’t afford to stay here on a yoga salary. I’ll look for a place up there tomorrow if I get the job.” I threw back the rest of the drink. “Oh, shoot, Fi, it’s after midnight. I have to go to bed. Do you mind?”

  She stood. “Of course not. I’ll leave the bottle for tomorrow night, when we could celebrate again.”

  Chapter 41

  BOYSCOUT

  They still hadn’t voted on our demise. It had been weeks since they took Charles out, weeks of no Shaw. I prayed for the beat down. I couldn’t lose her and the club in one swoop.

  I refused to let Slider take any hits since it was all me—my fault, my lies. Kick pretended like he had no clue about Shaw, and was in the dark like the rest of them, and I gave him that, because I went to him with the secret. I owed it to him. So, I was going to offer to take both beatings if it meant Slider staying or going.

  “Scout.” Kick shouted. I had been working on a Harley and a beat up as fuck 68 Vette. “Get your ass in here.”

  I wiped my hands, tossed
on my cut and went to the chapel. All of them were in there waiting for me. “What’s going on?”

  “Take a seat, son.”

  “Why? We have a vote I don’t know about? I was just about to put a new alternator in the ‘Vette.”

  “Sit. That’s an order.”

  I glanced to Slider, who refused to look my way. I then turned to Kick, who also refused to look at me. I grew concerned. “Man, if this is the vote on the punishment, I’ll take both. Slider shouldn’t have to, this shit is all me. And I have not seen Shaw; I haven’t seen her in weeks.”

  I glanced back to Slider standing in the corner, nursing a bottle of beer, still avoiding me. “I thought we had no vote when it came to this. What are you doing in here, Slide?”

  “I’ve listened to something at least twenty times over the course of twenty-four hours trying to decide what to do. I’m going to play you all something and then we’re voting.”

  I turned to Smokey, unsure what was going down. He hit a button on his laptop and turned it around to face us.

  “I ever tell you your dad and I had a little thing.” Fiona’s voice came through his computer. It was a little gritty, but understandable, and then I saw her. Shaw.

  My brows narrowed. “What is this?”

  “Listen, Scout.”

  We did.

  He fast forwarded and then hit play. “I think I’m afraid to love him completely like my mom did my dad.” And then a moment later. “I love him, Fi, so much it hurts.” I closed my eyes, listening to her words until the end. When it was over, the room grew quiet. I opened my eyes and found five sets staring at me.

  “I had Fiona do that for me.” Smokey said, then added, “I want to put it on the table to make an exception for Scout and Shaw to be together if they both want it. This vote needs to be unanimous. One thing you all don’t know is Charles was not the only threat. An ex came to find her, and Scout took him out of the equation. He’s protected her the entire time he’s known her and helped nail down Charles. I think he’s earned it, and it’s my daughter who will be hurt, and is hurting right now. And I don’t want her to run away again, so I vote yay.”