Biker Taken (The Lost Souls MC Series Book 6) (19 page)

Chapter Thirty-Four
 

Oak 

Her laugh is on the other side of the door. The numbness is gone now and my legs carry me up the basement stairs, following the musical tune. The door isn’t locked and I find her standing at the end of the hall.  

In a flowery dress, her care-free smile hits me like a ton of bricks and before I can recover she is in my arms.  

“Take me to bed, John Johnson.” 

With pleasure, I think and take the stairs up to the bedrooms. The first room we come across is open and I lay her gently on the bed and step back to admire the view.  

“You’re so fuckin’ beautiful. I should never have let you go.” 

Leaning up on her knees, she shuffles to the end of the bed and pulls me closer to her.  

“No, you shouldn’t but we have now so kiss me.” 

Pressing my mouth to hers, she opens and sweeps her tongue across my bottom lip. Her sweet taste blasts open my senses and I lap it up.  

“Where are you now?” I ask her, pulling back but keeping my arms around her.  

“I’m here with you,” she chuckles.  

“I want you so bad,” I moan.  

Pushing her down softly onto her back, I hover over her and teasingly pull down her dress straps, one after the other. She shimmies out of the dress and I throw it across the room.  

“You haven’t changed one bit,” I murmur, leaning down and sweeping my lips across her stomach.  

“Yes, I have, this is just how you remember me,” she sighs, still enjoying my touch.  

“No, it’s because true beauty never fades.” 

Grabbing her hand, I place both our hands over my crotch, “This is how hard you still make me.” 

“You were always hard,” she grins. 

“Not this hard, this is all you,” I promise her. 

Lying on top of her, careful not to put all my weight on her, she wraps her legs around my waist. 

“You okay, brother? You’re talking to yourself again.” 

My eyes shoot open and I’m back in the basement tied to the fucking wall and Sparky is across from me.  

Shellie isn’t here, she never fucking was. The numbness is back and is at full force, it’s getting to the point I’d rather be dead.  

I’ve known it deep down and all along I regret letting her walk out of my life, but being here I have to face up to it and there’s no hiding from it. 

“I’m fine,” I mutter.  

“You were dreaming about Shellie again weren’t ya?” 

“She’s hauntin’ me.” 

“Get Slade to track her down, you never know what could happen. You don’t want to face dying again with this regret on your conscious, do ya?” 

“Let’s see how this ends first.” 

Looking up to the beams supporting the house, somethings different.  

“It’s quiet,” I say.  

“Yeah, it has been for a while.” 

“You think we’re alone?”  

“Nah, they’ll be someone, two at the most. I’ve been working on these,” he says, holding his bound wrists up.  

The tape is fraying and he is halfway to freeing himself.  

“I’m not in a good way.” 

“You just need to stand and I’ll help ya, we’ll get you on your feet and go from there.” 

I shake my head, “No, you’re best off getting out yourself and findin’ out where we are and then getting’ help. My ankle is fucked, I’m not walkin’ anywhere, with or without your help.” 

“Yeah, I think you’re underestimating me, brother. Do you think I’m going to leave here and leave ya? No fuckin’ chance, I’m getting out of these and then I’m gettin’ us out of here,” he declares.  

I admire him for his loyalty to me and strength, but we both know I’m not getting out of here without the whole club as backup and a fucking chair to carry me out.  

Chapter Thirty-Five
 

Cas 

 
“What’s going on?” Pope roars, filling the doorway to the bar.  

Brother’s go quiet around him and move out of his way as strides towards me. I stand and pull him into my arms and slap his back. 

“I’m sorry you had to be called back, but we need you, brother.”  

Pope has never asked for time away before. Usually, I have to tell him to take a break.  

“Slade didn’t say much, just told me I had to get back and it was serious.” 

“You should sit.” 

He sits and I take my seat. His eyes land on Melissa and his frown deepens.  

“There has been changes to the Devil’s Bastards, their new president, Danny has started a war and he began by taking Oak.” 

He jumps forward and rises to his feet, “Sit.” 

Pope was the one I didn’t want to tell, the motherfucker on occasion has scared the shit out of me. The man isn’t on any level we are when shit starts pouring.  

I carry on, “He’s now got Sparky too, hence, why we have her. This is Melissa, his sister.” 

If I didn’t scare her, Pope certainly does. She shrinks into herself and if she thought she could get away with it; she’d be running for the hills now.  

“Why isn’t she dead?” he growls, definitely scaring her.  

His no shit, no holding back attitude isn’t a bluff and she knows it.  

“Not until we get our brothers back.” 

She doesn’t make a sound and holds herself tighter, as if it will keep Pope away from her.  

He leans across the table and sneers, “There are fates worse than death if your cunt of a brother doesn’t return what’s ours. Maybe, I can sell you to the highest bidder who’s into right sick shit, you’re not bad looking, we could make your life a misery and make money.” 

Shit, he isn’t holding back. I’d put money down that he doesn’t know anyone like that but then again, Pope has many layers we don’t know about.  

“Do we at least know where they are?” he asks, turning back to me.  

“No, Slade’s been pulling up properties for two days and so far, nothing. He’s also approached Denzel and tried taking our business. Of course, Denzel turned him away but like he said, he’s not the only one they can find business with.”  

“I take it it’s this Danny who took out Linc and half the club?”  

I nod my head and point to Noah, sitting across the bar from us.  

“Noah and a few others have been here and will fight with us. They’re no longer Devil’s Bastards.” 

He looks over at the men watching his every move and sighs heavily.  

“I’m back now, tell me what you need me to do.” 

Before I can say a word, my phone rings. Picking it up off the table, I recognise the number as Danny’s. Answering the call, I hold the phone to my ear and I’m immediately hit with threats.  

“If you’ve laid one finger on my sister, I’ll kill them both, Cas, and I’ll do it fucking slow.” 

“She’s fine, you little prick,” I tell him, looking at Melissa.  

Putting the call on speakerphone, I lay the phone on the table while Pope pushes Melissa’s chair closer to the table.  

“Tell him you’re fine.” 

I see her press her lips together harder and I itch to shove the phone down her throat.  

“Mel? Are you okay?” he asks her.  

As soon as she hears his voice she leaps forward over the phone as if she can dive into it and fuck off back to her brother.  

“Danny, please come and get me,” she whines.  

“Have they hurt you?”  

“Yes, they…” 

Everyone standing around the table flies into action and I leap up and end the call. Pope drags her off the chair and up onto her feet.  

“You lying bitch,” Ricky hisses.  

Fuck knows what Danny is going to do now on account of her lies. Circling the table, I stop and get real close in her face. 

“Let me explain my-fuckin’-self, so we’re both clear. If my brother’s don’t walk through that door soon, you will die. I said we wouldn’t hurt you but that’s off the table now. Piss me off one more time and I won’t hesitate to shoot you.” 

It’s not a threat, I am promising her.  

“I’m sor…sorry,” she stutters, for once, fear setting in. 

“Shut up,” Pope growls, shoving her back on her chair.  

A shine on his finger catches my eye and I stop long enough to get answers.  

“Did you get married?” I ask him. 

A small smile creeps on his face and he looks over his shoulder to Sally standing by the bar.  

“Yeah, before we left.” 

“Congratulations, brother.” I roar, holding my hand out for him to shake. 

“Thanks, it was a quiet service, we didn’t want a big fuss,” he explains, shaking my hand.  

“When we bring Oak and Sparky home, we’ll throw the biggest fuckin’ party the club has ever seen…” 

“We don’t need that, we’ll party cause our brothers are home,” he says, cutting me off.  

When Sally turned up here I couldn’t believe she had been with Pope all these years, I don’t know the details of their relationship, but it makes sense why he was always so quiet around the club with the women. Finding out he also had a daughter shocked everyone, it’s true when he says, when you don’t say much it’s easier to keep secrets. Sally must be one hell of a woman to marry our Pope and I truly am happy for them both.  

At least one of us has had some good news.  

“Cas.” 

Slade comes bolting out of the office and into the bar, looking pretty happy with himself.  

“I’ve just discovered Danny and that bitch had a granddaddy who died six months ago. He left her a ranch about an hour’s ride from the Devil’s Bastards clubhouse.” 

He should be looking happy with himself, he’s done well. Danny thought we wouldn’t find out about it because it’s not in his name.  

“That’s where they must have them,” Ricky puts in pointlessly. 

“The ranch is old and falling apart.” 

Everyone goes quiet and all eyes land on Melissa. Taking my seat at the same table as her again, I light another cigarette and stare at her.  

“Your brother picked up one of my men nearly three nights ago, he took another yesterday, it won’t be long before he kills them and I can’t allow that to happen. One of them is my wife’s uncle, she’d be devastated if he didn’t return to where he belongs and I hate to see her cry. The other is a husband and a daddy to a little boy, his old lady is not a woman I want to tell her old man is dead and I certainly don’t want to have to explain to his boy how I failed to bring his dad home. I’ve promised I will kill you, but if you help me now, regardless of the outcome, I’ll let you go.” 

It’s partially the truth, I don’t want to kill her, but I didn’t give her my word and my word would be the only saviour she has in this situation.  

“What do you need?” she asks. 

Placing my gun on the table and keeping my hold on it, her eyes travels down and remains on the gun.  

“What do you need?” she asks again, not looking at me.  

“I need you to draw the layout of the place, where the doors are, windows, things like that. I want to know how far the neighbours are, if there are trees blocking any view of the house. Understand?”  

She nods her head, finally looking at me. She’s strong willed and I like that in a woman but not now. I will break her to get what I want.  

“She could lead us straight into a trap if she gives us the wrong drawings,” Ricky says, not trusting her.  

“Do you want to die?” I ask her, and ignoring Ricky for now.  

“No.” 

“Do you believe I will kill you?”  

She studies me and it seems like she is penetrating my soul.  

“No, I don’t believe you will.” 

Intakes of breaths circle the bar and as president, she is mocking me.  

“Then you’ll end up as dead as your brother, do what I want and I might bury you together. I don’t kill woman but when it comes to my family, I will do anything and I’ll be too far gone to see your gender. Do not underestimate me, Melissa. You mean nothing to me and my brothers mean everything. So I ask you again, do you believe I will kill you?”  

Swallowing heavily, she nods her head and accepts the pen and paper from Slade. Catching Pope’s eye, I jerk my chin slightly and give him the go ahead to breathe down her neck and keep her honest with her drawings.  

Pulling out a switch blade, he mockingly dangles it in front of him, near her arm, and she tenses up, watching it from the corner of her eye.  

Now we have a good lead, I know what has to be done. Standing from the table, I walk outside and dial Danny’s number.  

He doesn’t keep me waiting for long. 

“I’m going to cut your fucking hands off for touching her,” he threatens.  

“As if you could get that close to me, boy,” I degrade him.  

No man wants to be called, boy.  

“She lied, she is absolutely fine. She won’t be though if you don’t agree to a swap tonight. We’ll both have our family back and we fight after we both know they’re still breathing.” 

The line goes quiet while I wait for him to make the next move and it doesn’t take long for him to agree. Thank God he loves his sister.  

“Fine, we’ll meet at the old yard at eight.” 

The old yard is an old abandoned barn halfway between our clubs. There aren’t any neighbours for miles and no main roads with passer-by’s and potential witnesses if shit goes wrong. We’ve occasionally met up there before on business.  

“I’m warning you now, as soon as I have my brothers back, all bets are off and anything goes.” I warn.  

“There’s no need to point out the obvious.” 

I flip the phone shut and shove it in my pocket. Obviously I can’t trust Danny, and I certainly don’t trust the swap will run smoothly. Heading back into the bar, I form a plan and call for silence to fill everyone in on it.  

I scan the room and Melissa is still working on the sketches of her grandfather’s property. 

“Danny thinks we’re meeting him at eight at the old yard to swap her for Oak and Sparky, but, we’re not going to show. We have a location and we’re going for a surprise attack. He wants a fight and we’re going to give him one. If we ride now, he should still be there by the time we arrive. I don’t trust he will bring them both or either of them and he isn’t getting anywhere near her if that’s the case.” 

“What if Oak and Sparky aren’t there?” Noah calls out.  

“I’d put my life on it they’re there. He’s trying to be sneaky using a property in his sister’s name thinking we won’t go after her and find out about it, but he’s wrong and after tonight he’s going to know how bad that is. Tool up and prepare to fight. I want no one left breathing after we retrieve our brothers.” 

“Cas?”  

I look at Noah and he carries on, “me and the guys can stay here, if they come here again, no one will be here to defend the place or the women and kids.” 

“Half of you stay and I’ll have half my men stay, work out the half to come, we do this together, we’re all Lost Souls now, we work this together.” 

The bar turns into a blur and I take a seat at Melissa’s table. 

“Go and get ready to leave,” I say to Pope and turn my attention to Melissa, “are you nearly finished?” I grunt.  

“Here,” she says, sliding the paper across the table, “the neighbouring houses aren’t close enough to see anything, but if you go shooting the house down, they will hear it.” 

“Thanks for the advice, but I don’t give a shit what they hear, only what they see.” 

She nods lightly and spins the pen around her fingers.  

“I am sorry you got pulled into this, you were our last resort, I need my brothers back.” 

“I don’t understand anything that’s going on, but Danny won’t let anything happen to me, he’ll give you your family back to get me.” 

I narrow my eyes and tap my fingers on the table top.  

“No offence, darlin’, but I don’t think you have the first clue who your brother is anymore. If you did, you’d be a lot more worried about yourself. Nothing I’ve told you has been a lie, I know it’s hard to see the truth about someone when you’ve known different for a long time, but open your eyes and see him for what he is now. It might save your life.” 

I stand and search for Dex, standing by the door, he looks like he’s itching to come with us. I jerk my chin when he looks my way and he jogs over.  

“Glue yourself to her, do not leave her side.”  

Heading outside, bikes roar around me and the air is thick with violence and revenge. Looking over to the main house, Alannah stands in the window and offers a small smile. I place my hand over my heart, it’s hers and she knows it without me having to tell her and turn for my bike.  

I don’t plan on anyone dying in this fight tonight apart from Devils Bastards. It’s not my ego thinking this, but the Lost Souls are superior to them and we will show them their errors by taking every single one of their lives.