Their Fractured Souls: Sons Of Lost Soul MC Book Six

by R. Hunter, Ellie

“Are you going to be okay?”

  “I’ll be fine,” I assure him knowing I’ll have to get used to being alone.

  He doesn’t need to be told twice and as he heads for his bike, I hobble my way to the cabin Victoria is hiding out at.

  She’s curled up on the couch, the fire is roaring in the hearth and she’s still shivering.

  I sit beside her and hold my arm out for her to snuggle against me.

  “Mason isn’t coming home, I let him go.”

  I know she can’t hear me but once we leave, I doubt I’ll talk to anyone else about it.

  “It’s the right thing, but fuck it feels like shit.”

  In fact, I can already feel him slipping away from me like he has been since we first met Aspen.

  She begins to shake against me and I look down to find her silently sobbing. Tears stain her cheeks and I sit there holding her. This trip has been nothing but heartbreak and goodbyes and I’m done. I’m ready to get home and be around everything I know.

  “I’m going to look after you, Tor. I’ll be at your side, no matter what.”

  Aspen

  Father’s office holds nothing but his desk, his chair and the armchairs. His books, paperwork and every sick photograph he held onto is now a pile of ashes out in the back yard. I’ve been around the house three times, collecting photos of my mom and me, and packed them away. The ones my father are in have been burned and are too, a pile of ashes. If I can burn everything he owned, I won’t hesitate to incinerate the lot.

  “You can’t do this alone, Aspen. You need a man beside you for these people to take you seriously.”

  I’ve been ignoring Curtis, who invited himself round an hour ago, and won’t leave. Hearing I can’t do something but a man can ignites my fury and I spin on him.

  “That’s funny, because Leonard Cooper only wanted to deal with me.”

  “Because of your pussy, don’t get above yourself, Aspen. Let me help you. First, I want to know what happened to your father, you keep skirting around the truth and I’m losing my patience.”

  “So leave, Curtis. I’m not telling you anything, I don’t need you for anything, and I can certainly do everything you could, more even.”

  “You don’t know the first thing about your father’s businesses.”

  He’s wrong. Before I set the paperwork and his ledgers alight, I read through them, I have a pretty good idea what he was doing, with who and how much money he was making and where he was saving it all.

  “If all what you say is true, you can jump in and save the day. Until then, you are relieved of whatever it was you did for my father.”

  Although I read everything my father had written down, none of it mentioned Curtis.

  “You need an alliance, the Lost Souls are animals and Leonard Cooper is…”

  “I know what he is, and the Lost Souls aren’t animals, they’re more man than you.”

  I walk out of the empty office, hoping he’ll leave, when the doorbell rings throughout the house and I pray it’s not another appearance from Mr. Cooper.

  Saying that, he could get rid of Curtis for me. Only, I find Mason on my doorstep, stood with his hands shoved in his jean pockets and his leather cut snugly fit over his shoulders.

  “Mason, what are you doing here?”

  We said our goodbye last night and then he was gone before I woke up. I won’t lie and say it didn’t sting to find his side of the bed empty, but I understood it was for the best. Who wants a long, drawn out goodbye?

  “I’m staying.”

  My heart thumps in my chest and the blood rushes around me so fast I think I’m dreaming.

  “Because?”

  “Cas wants me to stay to oversee the new deal with Cooper.”

  Oh. I should have known. Disappointment washes over me like a cold shower.

  “I only agreed because of you. It’s only because of you I’d stay in this freezing, mind numbingly boring ass town and it’s not like I can go home knowing I’m leaving the woman I love behind.”

  He loves.

  Love.

  He loves me.

  He said it out loud, to my face, declaring it for always.

  “What about Myles?”

  After everything that has happened, he’s made it clear Myles comes first, he was his priority.

  “He’s going back with the club, when we’re done here, we’ll join them.”

  “And you love me? You’re not going to change your mind, go cold on me and push me away again?” He moves closer to me and I couldn’t move away if I tried.

  “I love you, I’ll never change my mind about that, and I plan on making heat with you, not going cold.”

  God, so cheesy. I laugh and step out to close the distance between us.

  “You’re really staying?” I ask, just to be sure.

  He nods and I jump in his arms.

  “Thank god.”

  In the excitement that I, Aspen Peirce, finally gets what she wants, I slam my mouth onto his a little too hard and our teeth clang together. His chuckle fills my mouth and I force myself to slow down. Kissing him, holding him, seeing him, it’s what I need in my life every single day. He stops kissing me and growls against my cheek as he stares off at something over my shoulder.

  “What the fuck is he doing here?”

  Sliding down back to my feet, I turn around and Curtis is walking towards us.

  “He’s leaving,” Is all I say.

  Having Mason here, he walks by us giving us a wide birth and jogs over to his car.

  “What did he want?”

  “Oh, you know, just wanted me to know I can’t handle men like you and Cooper.”

  “Fucking idiot, we can’t handle you.”

  And isn’t that the truth.

  Curtis peels out of the drive and I say my last goodbye to him. Who knows where he’ll end up in life, but I can’t honestly find it in myself to care.

  “So, I have to be back by the morning to say goodbye to everyone, but I’m all yours till then.”

  He’s wrong, he’s mine, always.

  “In that case, come in and make yourself comfortable. Oh and Mase?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I love you, too.”

  Mason

  I lean against my bike, watching Aspen talk with my mom. She’s going to fit in nicely with my family when we return to Willows Peak. Myles is moving more fluidly today but not nowhere near like his normal self. One of the prospects is loading his bike into the back of his van so Myles can head back with Mom and Victoria in the car. He’s in no state to ride and with the meds he’s on he’d probably fall asleep on the road and kill himself.

  He heads my way and I push forward, meeting him halfway so he doesn’t have to hurt himself farther.

  “So this is it, brother,” is the first thing he says.

  “Only for now, brother.”

  Yet it feels like a permeant goodbye, and I can see he feels it too.

  I put my arms around him, careful not to put any pressure on him and hold him close to me.

  “I don’t know how to live without you,” he whispers.

  “Same.”

  “I guess we’re going to find out.”

  This needs to be done, but it doesn’t help the feeling of half of me is disappearing.

  “Well, we’re not pussies, so I guess we’ll make it work.”

  I pull away from him and he looks down to the ground. “Just make sure you watch your back out here, or I’ll kick your ass myself.”

  “The same goes for you.”

  “Please, I won’t be making the same mistake again.”

  With no words left to be said, we stare at one another.

  ‘I love you, asshole.’

  He grins and nods.

  ‘Love you, too, prick.’

  “Five minutes, then we’re out of here,” Sparky hollers and I walk Myles over to the car.

  I help him get comfortable and head round to say goodbye to Tor. She barely keeps eye cont
act with me, but she does long enough for me to point to my eye, then my heart and then at her. I get a small smile from her and then I close the door on her.

  Heading back to Myles, I say, “Watch her.”

  “No doubt about it, brother.”

  “And call me when you get home, and take your pain meds, they’ll help you…”

  “I have a mom for this bullshit.”

  Barking out a laugh, I step back and close the door. Not too many of the Willows Peak brothers have much time for the Mercy brothers and their goodbyes are over with swiftly.

  Aspen’s arm winds its way around my waist and she snuggles her head against me.

  “Are you okay?”

  Seeing them go, it’s weird and not how I thought this trip would end but I’m excited to see how the next couple of months play out.

  “I’m good, babe.”

  “You sure? This is your last chance before…” I cut her off before she can finish that sentence.

  “Unless you were planning on leaving with me, I’m here until you pack your shit and say goodbye to this place forever.”

  “One day soon, I promise you that.”

  Myles

  I’ve slept far too long, I don’t need to open my eyes and check the time. There’s somewhere I need to be but the warmth hitting me from both sides of my body has me staying exactly where I am.

  Victoria.

  She has a guy coming out to meet her today so he can teach her sign language and she promised she’d only meet with him if I was there. I promised her I wouldn’t be late.

  I shoot up and over Zara’s or was it Naomi’s body and search the floor for my jeans. Looking over my shoulder, it was Zara I jumped over and she slept through it. I drank so much last night, I can’t remember whose idea it was to have a three-way but I’m feeling good this morning so it must have been a good night.

  Once I’m dressed, I sit on the end of the bed and light a smoke. I’ve barely taken a hit when my phones vibrates in my jeans pocket. Leaning back, I pull it out the tight space and Mason’s name flashes across the screen.

  I thought I could deal with him staying and me coming home. Turns out, I can’t, and I’ve ignored every call for the last five weeks.

  Hitting reject, I put my phone away and wake the girls. I listen to their moans about how early it is and how they’re still tired as they find their clothes and get dressed.

  I’d leave them to sleep but I don’t trust them in my room when I’m not around apart from to suck my dick and open their legs for me.

  I ride hard all the way to my parents’ place and park up, thanking the lord I made it back before the tutor guy.

  Victoria is struggling with everything nowadays. She only leaves her room to go to her greenhouse out back and then she’s back in her room. She doesn’t let us in most of the time and one time I saw Luca trying to climb up to her window but she wouldn’t let him in.

  In the kitchen, mom is cooking up a storm and swats my hand away when I go to pinch a rasher of bacon.

  “Sit, it’ll be ready in a minute,” she scolds and I do as I’m told with a grin on my face.

  My mother is five feet nothing and has more power over me than any man alive, maybe not grumps, but definitely more than dad.

  “I can smell the alcohol and whore from here, have a good night?” grumps huffs from across the table.

  “I’ll let know if I ever remember.”

  A small grin replaces his semi-permanent scowl and mom tuts to herself by the stove.

  It makes grumps happy when we enjoy ourselves, especially when it’s the perks of the patch bringing us joy. Mom on the other hand, hates it when we drink too much. She’s fearful one of us will develop a bad habit. I mean, she used to be a junkie but I’m not looking to rely on alcohol to get through life.

  I drink no more than the average brother, she has nothing to worry about.

  “Mase called earlier, he wants to talk to you. Why aren’t you picking up his calls?” Dad asks as someone knocks at the front door.

  “I’ve been busy and keep missing him,” I say with a shrug as I get up to answer, hopefully the tutor guy.

  At least I won’t have to sit and listen to everyone talking about Mason. I swing open the door and an old guy stands before me.

  “Hi, I’m Julian. I’m here to teach Victoria sign language.”

  I don’t like him already. Who’s called Julian and is not a fucking asshole? But, I don’t have to like him, Victoria does. I open the door wider and invite him in, saying nothing.

  He walks inside and hovers by the bottom of the stairs.

  “Mom, it’s the sign guy,” I yell and head upstairs.

  I knock on my sister’s bedroom door and immediately curse myself. She can’t fucking hear it. I open it slowly and keep my eyes closed in case she’s changing or something.

  She doesn’t yelp or squeal with terror, so I peek through my lashes and find her sitting on her bed, fully dressed with a book on botany on her lap.

  I grab the white board and marker pen she’s been using to converse and scribble down the tutor guy is here.

  Her brows pinch together and she looks away. I park my ass on her bed and write down.

  ‘Give him a chance. He might be better than the last guy.’

  This isn’t her first rodeo. The first guy mom and dad hired, she took one look at him and went back upstairs.

  Fingers crossed this guy can help her. Mom and dad are desperate to help her in any way they can.

  Closing her book, she sighs loudly and leaves the room. I bring her pen and board with me as I follow her downstairs and sit on the arm of the chair where she sits. The tutor was shown to the couch while I was upstairs, and mom is pouring him a coffee. Grumps scrutinises him from the other armchair and dad leans in the doorway as he joins us.

  “How much experience do you have?” Grumps asks and the guy flinches at his tone.

  “Twelve years. I’ve worked with over a hundred people. I have references for you to read over.”

  Side-eyeing my sister, she tenses before leaning forward, about to get up and leave. My hand shoots out and I gently curl my fingers around her arm. She looks up at me and silently questions me.

  I sternly hold my give-him-a-chance look and she sits back. I listen to the guy waffle on trying to impress my parents and grandpa but I need my own answers and I’m done with the niceties.

  “My sister has reservations, she’s been able to hear all her life up till recently, she’s scared of the unknown and at the moment, this is all unknown territory. How are you going to connect with her?”

  The guy nods stiffly and puts his coffee mug back on the table. “I’m just here to teach her how to sign. I’m not sure what else I’m supposed to do. I’m not a therapist.”

  Wrong fucking answer. I wasn’t asking him to help deal with her emotional wellbeing, I want to know how he plans on connecting with her.

  I look down at Tori and nod once. She’s not my twin, but she sure as fuck is my sister and she knows I’m telling her she can leave now, that this guy isn’t the one.

  Grumps watches her go from his place on the chair and cuts his eyes to mine.

  He doesn’t ask where she’s going or why she left, no one does. He simply stands and says, “This isn’t going to work, you can go now.”

  After being dismissed, the guy picks up his briefcase and mutters a goodbye and something about wasted gas before dad slams the door shut on him.

  “At this rate, she’s not going to like anyone who comes through the door,” Mom murmurs, sadly. I pick up her board and marker from the chair and notice she’s written something down.

  ‘Female.’

  I hold it up for everyone else to read and Grumps says, “There will be somebody out there, we just need to find them.” He turns my way and adds, “Go on the internet and find a woman, possibly someone younger she can relate too. Maybe that will help?”

  I love my grandfather something fierce and out of everyon
e in my life, I have the most respect for him. He is legendary in the club and most feared throughout the years. His reputation will proceed him for many, many years. Yet, with me, Mason and Victoria he is putty in our hands – as long as we don’t push him too far. Even we have limits with him, they’re just a lot higher than everyone else can push him to.

  “While you’re all here, I might as well tell you I’m moving back to the club, full-time.”

  “I’m surprised you’ve stayed out at the house this long,” Mom says and collects the coffee cups.

  “Well, I can’t feel Sal there anymore and I’m not going to last much longer, I want to end where I’ve spent most of my life.”

  “What are you going to do with the house?” Dad asks and I perk up.

  “Young Victoria turns eighteen in a few weeks, and she’s always loved the place like Sally did. I’m giving it to her.”

  My mouth hangs open. I’m more than shocked. What the fuck?

  “You’re just giving it to her?” I ask, just to be crystal fucking clear.

  “Yes. You and your brother are more than capable of looking out for yourself, you have the club to fall back on. This is all I can do for her when I’m gone and I’d like to see her settled before that time comes.”

  I suppose it makes sense for him to gift her his house. She was always staying with Grams there before she died and just as much after she passed. The three of us all grew up having two homes, one with our parents and one with our grandparents. At least it’s staying in the family, that’s something.

  “She’ll want to move in straight away,” Dad points out. “She won’t be able to afford the bills.”

  Grumps scoffs. “You saying I won’t carry my own granddaughter?”

  “Fuck sakes, Pope. You know I didn’t mean it like that,” Dad argues with him.

  From what I’ve heard from the older brothers, my dad is the only one, besides Cas, who will argue back and forth with him. No one would ever be brave enough to push their luck with him.

  “Now that shit show is over, can we please eat breakfast?”

  Emma