Their Fractured Souls: Sons Of Lost Soul MC Book Six

by R. Hunter, Ellie

  I’m about to step inside the bar when my phone goes off again. Why is my phone burning up today? Losing my patience, I check the caller and it’s Grumps this time. I haven’t ever ignored one of his calls and I’m not about to start now. Answering, I press it to my ear and hear, “Get home now.”

  The call ends and my heart races. It must be Victoria. I ride home hard and fast and grumps has returned to the house. Something bad must’ve happened for him to come back.

  Mom must’ve heard me approaching because she steps out onto the porch and she’s pissed, not frightened or worried. My fears about something being wrong with Tori settle and then I rack my brains trying to figure what could have crawled up her ass to be shooting me death glares.

  “You have some answering to do, boy,” she scolds as I step onto the porch in front of her.

  “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  “Oh, you’ll find out inside. Get your ass in there before your father and grandfather come looking for you.”

  Seriously? What the fuck is going on? The only way to find out is to head inside and then I’m even more confused.

  Hailee is sitting on the couch with a tiny baby cradled in her arms. Dad is sat in the armchair, sitting forward with his arms resting on his thighs and grumps is stood, leaning against the wall.

  Before I can ask what is going on, dad leaps up, crosses the room and slaps me upside the back of my head. His mouth opens and then closes and then he sits back down.

  “What the fuck was that for?”

  “This kid could be yours,” he says, through gritted teeth.

  Looking back to Hailee and the baby, I tense.

  “The fuck it could be,” I growl.

  “She’s claiming it’s yours,” my dad argues back as Hailee stands and closes the distance between us.

  I automatically take a step back, but she only closes it again. My head is spinning and I try to think back to the last time I saw her, it must’ve been…nine months ago.

  Shit!

  But then I laugh. “You’re forgetting I’ve never fucked you alone.”

  “For fucks sake,” Dad mutters under his breath.

  “Myles, is there a chance this baby is yours?” Mom asks, quietly.

  “Absolutely no chance,” I assure her.

  “Myles, you…” Hailee tries to say but I cut her off.

  “I didn’t learn much at school, but I know you can’t make a baby fucking someone in the ass.”

  This earns me another slap on the back of the head, only this time it’s Mom delivering the blow.

  “Myles!”

  “It’s true! You point the baby at anyone, point it at Mason,” I tell my family.

  Keeping hold of the baby securely in one arm, her other hand latches onto my cut and her fingers turn white from gripping it so hard.

  “You have to help me, she never sleeps and she’s always crying. I can’t do this on my own.”

  It’s clear she’s struggling, but I feel nothing. Like I said, the kid isn’t mine. The baby starts to whimper and it’s cries grow louder by the second. In turn, Hailee starts to cry, trying to pass me the thing. I back away until I hit the wall. Mom steps in and takes the baby and I wish she hadn’t. Hailee needs to leave. Now.

  “Come on, these two need to talk,” she says, averting her attention to dad and grumps.

  They don’t need to be told twice and Grumps slams the door shut after him, leaving me and my old hook-up alone in the room.

  I get in her face and she flinches away.

  “Who the fuck do you think you are, showing up here telling me your kid is mine,” I sneer at her.

  “She could be, she’s either yours or Mason’s. You lied, you fucked me in every hole…all weekend, so did your brother.”

  Gritting my teeth together, I know this kid isn’t mine. It can’t be.

  “We protected ourselves,” I throw at her and she snorts.

  “Obviously, not well enough.”

  “If you want money, you’re shit out of luck, you’re getting fuck all from me.”

  “Call Mason, get him here…”

  “No good, he’s out of town and he’s as likely to believe this shit as I am.”

  She turns away and retrieves a tissue from her bag. She dabs at her eyes, I didn’t even notice her tears. That’s how much I care about this situation.

  “Can I use your bathroom, please?” she asks and because I need a minute to catch myself, I nod and say, “It’s at the top of the stairs, first door on your left. Clean yourself up, get your baby and leave.”

  She crosses the room, with her hand on the doorknob she says over her shoulder, “Her name is Penelope.”

  She opens the door and before she disappears, I manage to say, “I don’t give a shit what you named her, she isn’t mine.”

  She closes the door after her, and I hate I’m in my parent’s living room. I want to lash out and smash every single piece of furniture surrounding me. Out of respect for my mom, I won’t.

  The baby’s cries make it through the walls from the kitchen and I brace myself for anger and disappointment when I leave the sitting room and step into the kitchen. Mom is pacing with the baby, trying to soothe her.

  “Get Mason on the phone,” Grumps orders and dad gets his phone out.

  I keep my eyes away from the baby and steer clear of being on the screen when Mason answers dad’s video call.

  “Are you alone?” Dad asks.

  “I’m with Aspen,” Mason says, and I roll my eyes. Of course he’s with her, where else would he fucking be, not here with me, that’s for sure.

  “We need to talk…alone.”

  I hear him moving around and a beat later, a door clicks shut.

  “What’s going on?” he asks, and I bite down on my tongue.

  Dad fills him in on Hailee’s appearance and the baby screaming in the background grinds it in.

  Mase is quiet on his end and then he says, “I need to talk to my brother.”

  I don’t move to get the phone from dad and he sighs, gets up and brings it over. He shoves it against my chest, leaving me no choice but to take the thing. I hold it up and my own face in his reflects back at me.

  “We’re going to talk about you not picking up my calls, but first, tell me what the fuck is going on, brother.”

  “It’s like dad said, she’s claiming the kid’s one of ours.”

  The front door slams through the hall and me being the closest to the kitchen door, I run out and make it to the front door as Hailee clambers into her car, starts the engine and peels out of dodge like she’s left a fire.

  Mom, dad, and grumps come up behind me and together we watch her taillights disappear onto the main road into town.

  I’m going to fucking kill her. I’m going to hunt her down and drag her back to get this baby.

  “She left?” Mom murmurs.

  “Looks like it,” I snap, anger rising like a fucking volcano inside me.

  “Will someone please tell me what’s kicking off now?” I hear Mason holler through the phone.

  The phone disappears from my hand as I stand there, not moving, not saying a word. I listen to dad talk with him and then Tori steps up beside me.

  She hands me a note. She points her finger upstairs, and I guess she’s trying to tell me she found it in the bathroom as I take it from her.

  * * *

  She’s yours or Mason.

  Look after her.

  Hailee.

  Motherfucking bitch!

  Emma

  There wasn’t much I wanted to keep from the trailer, so I spent two hours yesterday dropping everything off to goodwill. I handed back the keys to the landlord and he wished me well, it fell on my middle finger as I drove away. I must admit, I was getting worried where I was going to end up, but like mom always used to say, life has a way of leading you in the right direction. I’m totally believing her now. I’ve been sat in the car longer than deemed normal outside the Simmons house and I t
ake a deep breath and climb out.

  I collect my bag from the back seat and ready myself for the next few weeks. There’s only two motorcycles parked up out front and I hope the grandfather isn’t around. I’d like to at least settle in before he returns to scare the crap out of me.

  I knock at the door and all I can hear is a baby wailing. No one seems to hear me, so I knock again.

  Kyla answers almost instantly and I feel rude for knocking a second time. She’s flustered this morning and appears to have gotten no sleep last night.

  “It’s so good to see you, Victoria is out back in her greenhouse. Come in, come in.”

  She ushers me inside and the baby’s cries grow even louder. Their kitchen seems to be the main hub for the family, and I adjust my bag strap on my shoulder.

  Ricky is cradling a baby in his arms, trying to soothe the bundle of eardrum pain. “Hey, sorry about the crying. We’re hoping she settles soon,” he tells me, and I hope he’s right.

  The counters are covered with packs of diapers, formula, and bottles. Everything here apparently still can’t shut the baby up. I’ll be sure to keep them in my prayers they survive this loud little monster.

  Swaddled in pink blankets, she must have been sleeping while I was here yesterday. Selfishly, I hope she doesn’t cry like this through the night.

  “Will someone please shut that thing up.”

  I jump at the deep voice and find Myles right behind me. His appearance is the same of his mom’s, tired, dishevelled and at his wits end. Although, while his mom is fully dressed, Myles is only wearing tight boxer briefs and him rendering me with a thick throat yesterday with his cologne has nothing on today. His tattoos, his slender but toned and sculpted body is a much better view of him then him wearing his biker cut.

  “It’s a baby, son, they fucking cry,” his Dad snaps at him and snaps me out of my appreciation viewing.

  Myles moves around me, and I think I’ve been quickly forgotten. Opening the fridge, he pulls out a carton of fresh orange juice and drinks straight from the carton. Kyla is busy preparing a bottle and I just stand here like a lemon.

  I clear my throat and shrug the bag strap further up my shoulder to relieve some of the weight.

  “Oh, yes, sorry. Myles, can you show Emma up to her room.”

  He looks at me for the first time since he came into the room and walks by me. I get the hint to follow him upstairs and the room I’m staying in is beautiful, all neutral tones and simple furniture.

  “If Tori isn’t her room, you can usually find her out back in her greenhouse. It’s her favourite place to be,” he tells me as I dump my bag on the bed.

  “Thank you, how is she today?”

  It’s good to know what mood I’ll find her in.

  “Haven’t got a fucking clue, I just got up.”

  Right. Hence the lack of clothes.

  He softens his tone and adds, “Please help her, she’s a good girl and she’s had some shit luck lately. I want her to be happy.”

  He clearly cares greatly for his sister and I envy him. I grew up wishing I could have siblings.

  He leaves me to unpack my bag and when I’m ready to track down Victoria, I pull out the print-offs I made at the library this morning. It’s the basics of sign language and I hope they help to begin with.

  The house is quiet as I pass through and out into the backyard. Victoria’s greenhouse is in the back corner and not wanting to creep up and scare her, I walk around the aisles and find her silently crying as she prunes a lovely red Rose bush. It feels like a private moment for her, and before I can leave and give her a few more minutes alone, she looks over and smiles like she hasn’t got tears falling down her cheeks.

  I find her board tucked under an empty plant pot and the marker on the floor.

  ‘Good morning, how are you today?’

  It seems like such a stupid question but I still ask.

  ‘Better now you’re here. Shall we start?’

  She’s keen and I like it.

  “It’s a nice day out, shall we sit at the garden table?’

  She nods and leads the way. Her skirt whips around her ankles and bare feet, without a care in the world that the soles of her feet are getting dirty. We both sit at the bench and she crosses her legs underneath herself while I spread the printed sheets of paper across the table. I reach for her board and erase the previous text.

  ‘These can seem daunting but I promise, you’ll get the hang of it in no time.’

  Reaching over, she grabs the pen and scribbles down, ‘I’m ready.’

  Myles

  The baby hasn’t stopped crying in hours but as I watch the tutor working with Tori out in the garden, I can’t hear a fuckin thing. The girl is beautiful and it pleases me that she’s making Tori smile again. For a while, I didn’t think it would ever happen again. She’s been so sad since Mercy.

  “I’ve called the doctor’s office, this crying isn’t right,” Mom stresses and I shrug.

  I haven’t got a clue what’s right or wrong with a baby and I don’t intend on finding out.

  Turning my back on the window, mom clutches her phone in her hand while holding the kid. The back door opens, and Victoria is first to walk in, followed shortly by Emma. Tori rolls at her eyes at me on her way to go up to her room and I shoot her the middle finger as she leans over the banister to glare at me.

  She’s not happy with me, and it’s even worse when it’s silently thrown at me. How the fuck does that work?

  Mom’s phone rings, and she steps toward me going to hand me the baby. I cross my arms over my chest, leaving no doubt that I’ll hold the kid.

  “I don’t fucking think so.”

  “Myles, I need to hear this call. I can’t manage that while holding her.”

  “Not my problem.”

  “I didn’t raise an asshole, so don’t be one now,” she scolds me, and I simply shrug again.

  Emma steps forward and offers to hold the screaming bundle of unwanted joy and then silence seeps through us all.

  “How are you doing that?” Mom asks, shocked by the sudden silence.

  Emma stares between us and shakes her head. “I didn’t do anything.”

  Mom’s phone is still ringing and I lift it towards her face so she can answer it.

  “Oh yeah, I’ll be back in a minute.”

  She darts out of the room and with the kid now quiet, I intend on catching up on my sleep.

  “Is she your sister?” the girl asks, and I stop in my tracks.

  Snorting, I manage to give her a real answer. “She’s my brother’s kid.”

  This time I go to leave when she starts cooing over the baby, telling her how cute she is.

  “You are so beautiful, yes you are.”

  I stop, keeping my back to her. This woman isn’t like anyone I’ve met. She’s kind, she must have the patience of a saint to teach, and she’s tugging at something in my chest, making me want to stay and listen to her some more. I sit at the table and watch them, she’s good with her and she’s good with Tori from what I saw through the window. She has to be an angel. Fucking corny, I know, but there’s no other explanation for her. I thought she was a looker before but now I’m really looking at her, she’s soft in all the right places and she’s stunning.

  Definitely an angel sent our way. I’m about to ask her if she has a man when mom storms into the kitchen, heading straight for the baby. Emma passes her over and makes sure the blanket is still wrapped around the kid.

  “I was able to get the last appointment of the day, we’ve got to leave now.”

  “That’s nice,” I mutter and ignore her glare.

  She gets the pink bundle of headache ready to leave the house and stops in front of me before leaving.

  “Are you not coming with us?”

  “Why would I?”

  Something between a sigh and a full blown growl escapes her and she huffs on her way out. Leaving me all alone with the angel. Glancing her over, her style is simp
le and her short shorts are just tight enough I can feel the slight resistance if I were to pull them down her thighs.

  “I should finish unpacking,” she murmurs once the silence becomes awkward.

  “You could, or if you’ve finished with my sister for the day, maybe you want to get out of here for a while? It’s been pretty intense with the kid.”

  “I shouldn’t, your grandfather said he’d come over for me to teach him tonight.”

  Cockblocked by grumps, like fuck is that happening. I shoot him off a quick text, telling him to come over tomorrow night instead as Tori is busy with the tutor.

  His reply comes back a beat later and it’s on.

  “I cancelled for you, he’s coming tomorrow now.”

  “You shouldn’t have done that, this isn’t being professional.”

  “In case you haven’t noticed, we’re not very formal around here. You’ve been hard at it all day, you deserve to unwind.”

  I like how it doesn’t take much to change her mind and she quickly runs upstairs to freshen up. Once we’re outside, standing before my beautiful machine it’s a different story, I’m about to give up when she refuses to ride on the back of my bike and agree to go in her car when she relents and takes my hand to help her climb on. I have to say, the sight of her straddling my seat has me growing in my jeans.

  I climb on in front of her and reach back for her hands. I pull them around my waist and her skin is so fucking soft it’s foreign to touch. She gets the idea and clasps them together.

  I’ve seen the older brothers riding around with their women, riding proudly with them, I’m sure Mason is doing the exact same thing up in Mercy with Aspen. Emma is the first woman I’ve invited to ride with me and it feels good. All the way to the club, she tightens her hold, pressing her head against my back. If she lowers her hands much further, she’s going to feel just how much I’m enjoying this ride.