Retribution (The Lone Riders MC Series Book 2) (23 page)

Pulling into her driveway she got out of the car, slamming the door shut, reaching into her pocket for her keys, surprised to find her hand was shaking as she tried a couple of times to unlock the front door.

‘
Shit
!’ she muttered under her breath, finally fitting the key into the lock and turning it quickly. ‘
Get a fucking grip, Mia!
’

Pushing the door open she kicked it shut behind her, leaning back against it and closing her eyes, taking a long, deep breath. Her head was spinning, a whirl of confusing memories that now broke her heart filling her head, and she couldn’t stop the tears from falling. But she refused to cave in to this. Refused to let it kill her. Anger was such a draining emotion; she’d experienced that enough times with Lennie. She wasn’t going to let it take over again. She just needed to get her head around this. Make sense of it all. Start dealing with a truth that wasn’t going to go away.

Taking another deep breath she wiped her eyes and exhaled slowly, trying to compose herself, even though, in the privacy of her own home, she could fall apart all she liked without anyone having to know. She just didn’t
want
to fall apart. She wasn’t sure she could put herself back together if she did.

Making her way into the kitchen she grabbed a glass from the draining board and opened the cupboard above the microwave, looking for the bottle of bourbon she kept up there, but she couldn’t find it. She frowned, wondering if she’d moved it, which she might have done. Or maybe Ben had. He liked a shot or two himself.

‘Looking for this?’

The blood in her veins suddenly ran as cold as ice. Her heart started to beat so hard and so fast her chest felt tight, the pain so strong and so real. And she didn’t want to turn around, but something was making her do it, that pain in her chest increasing as she saw him standing there, holding up the now almost-empty bottle of bourbon.

‘I left you some,’ he said, moving a couple of steps forward, placing the bottle down on the counter top. ‘Figured you might need it.’

‘I want you to go,’ she whispered, her voice back to being barely a whisper. He was supposed to be dead. Lennie Rose. He was supposed to be dead. She’d seen the picture, heard Bear say the words. Lennie Rose was dead. So why was he standing there, in her kitchen?

‘That’s not gonna happen, Mia,’ Lennie said, moving closer towards her. She could smell the alcohol on his breath, making her think the bourbon hadn’t been all he’d drank recently. ‘I’m going nowhere. Not without you, anyway.’

‘Get out,’ she said, trying to raise her voice, but it wasn’t happening. If anything it was getting weaker.

Lennie shook his head, a sickening smile taking over his face as he bore down on her. ‘No one’s going anywhere yet, darlin’. But, yeah, we
are
getting out of here, I promise you that. Me and you, we’re gonna start a whole new life together, baby. I just figured it’d be good to have a bit of fun first.’

‘Get out!’

‘Just a little bit of fun. For old time’s sake. What d’you say?’

Twenty-Seven

‘And you just let her go?’ Ben sat down, wringing his hands together.

‘What was I supposed to do?’ Charlie asked. ‘She needs some space to get her head around this. Leaving her alone is probably the best thing we could all do right now.’

‘Your fucking timing couldn’t have been worse.’

‘You think I don’t know that?’

‘So why the hell tell her tonight?’

‘Because I’m leaving tomorrow.’

‘Yeah. That’d be right. Tell her at the last minute then you don’t have to deal with the fallout, is that it?’

‘This has got fuck all to do with you, Ben, so watch that mouth, okay?’

‘She’s all over the fucking place, Charlie. Her head is so messed-up she doesn’t know where she fucking is, all this business with Lennie… And you tell her
this
on top of all that?’

‘I’m not denying it’s a mess…’

Ben laughed, standing up and pulling his keys out of his pocket. Charlie knocked them straight out of his hand.

‘You’re not going anywhere, son.’

Ben’s eyes met Charlie’s, his stare hard and determined. ‘She needs me.’

‘She needs to be alone. And you really think I’m gonna let you anywhere near a bike when you’ve been drinking?’

‘When did
this
place get holier than thou?’

‘You want to be there for Mia, right?’

‘You know I do.’

‘What use are you gonna be to her if you’re lying dead in a fucking ditch because you lost control? You think she needs
that
on top of everything else, huh?’

Ben bent down to pick up his keys but Charlie was quicker, scooping them up and stuffing them in the pocket of his cut. ‘You have no fucking right…’

Charlie moved a little closer, keeping his voice low as he spoke. ‘Coby’s filled me in, Ben. Told me everything. Because you haven’t been all that clear with everyone around here, have you?’

Ben’s eyes stayed fixed on Charlie as he tried desperately to keep his temper under control; his frustration at a manageable level. ‘There was never a need for everyone to know the truth.’

Charlie raised an eyebrow. ‘Really? A member of one of the most notorious MCs in
America
…’

‘Ex-member.’

Charlie let out a low chuckle, his eyes never leaving Ben’s. ‘Oh, come on, Ben. You’re not that naïve, surely? I may not have had dealings, personally, with the Dark Angels, but I know all about them; know you never really become an
ex
-member of a club like that. So forgive me if I’m more than a touch suspicious about – well, about you in general. A lot of things just don’t add up. They let you just walk away? Is that right?’

Ben said nothing for a beat or two, his gaze remaining strong and steady. ‘Why are you asking questions if Coby told you everything?’

‘He told me everything he
knows
, Ben. But I still think there’s a lot you’re hiding.’

‘These clubs aren’t prisons.’

‘You don’t just walk away. Your own father…’

‘Don’t bring my father into this, Charlie. Don’t do that.’

Charlie smiled, a slow smile that went nowhere near his eyes. ‘I get that you wanted to start over, I mean, that accident you had was pretty horrific. So, yeah, I get that you wanted to start over. I just don’t get why you didn’t move far away from everything you were trying to move on from. You went to law school in
L.A.
, so why not stay there? You could have been a lawyer anywhere, for anyone, yet you chose to come back here and represent another MC. And
that’s
what I don’t get.’

‘Once a biker always a biker, huh? Is that what you want me to say?’

‘I don’t know, Ben. That all depends on the kind of biker you once were.’

Ben continued to hold the older man’s gaze, refusing to let this get to him. Charlie was trying to intimidate him, that was obvious. But it wasn’t going to work. It took a lot to wear Ben Salter down. More than Charlie Hart could throw at him.

‘You put one foot out of line, son, and believe me, shit will happen.’

It was Ben’s turn to smile a cold, meaningless smile. ‘I’m not that person any more, Charlie. And you can choose to believe that or you can…’

‘You’re with Mia. You’re with my daughter, Ben – or should I call you…’

For the first time since this conversation had started Ben felt his hackles rise, his frustration building, and he allowed that to show on his face, his teeth gritted as he spoke. ‘I’m not that person any more.’

‘I hope to God you mean that.’ Charlie was the first to break the stare, backing off slowly, finally giving Ben some space. ‘Just leave Mia alone. For now. When – if – she needs you, I’m sure she’ll reach out.’

Ben watched as Charlie walked off, a wave of exhausted resignation sweeping over him.

He’d never be able to walk away, because he couldn’t. They wouldn’t let him. They never would.

***

‘Don’t touch me,’ Mia whispered, backing up against the counter as Lennie moved closer, his bulky frame bearing down on her, the smell of alcohol and weed filling her nostrils. ‘I don’t want you touching me.’

‘I don’t give a fuck what you
want
, darlin’. I’m just here to take back what’s mine.’

He reached out to touch her breast, but Mia slapped his hand away, determined to fight him with every ounce of strength she had. ‘Fuck
you
!’

He laughed, a dark, sinister laugh that sent a shiver coursing through Mia’s body, his eyes manic as they stared back at her. He had an almost crazed look about him, which made Mia think he’d indulged in more than just bourbon and a joint. And why that wasn’t scaring her more than it was she couldn’t explain. All she could feel was that numbness returning, shutting down every emotion, turning her into nothing more than a spectator of the horrifying act she was about to become a part of.

Reaching behind her she felt around for the knife block that she knew sat somewhere on the counter top, but he wasn’t so stoned that he didn’t notice what she was doing, grabbing her wrist so tight she cried out as a wave of pain shot up her arm.

‘You want to make this a fight, baby, then I’m all for that. You used to like it rough, remember?’

She felt sick. Her stomach heaved, her heart racing so fast she felt close to passing out, but that was the last thing she wanted to do. She needed to stay alert, focused. She needed to think on her feet here to stop this from happening, But he was so close now; too close. His body was pressed right up against her, his liqor-laced breath making her nausea rise.

She tried closing her eyes, just for a second; tried to block it all out, give herself time to think. About what? She couldn’t move, his heavy frame was too much for her to fight. But if she stopped fighting he’d win, and that wasn’t an option Mia was willing to choose.

Keeping her eyes closed for just a few seconds longer, trying desperately to ignore Lennie’s hands on her thighs, his mouth covering her neck in kisses that turned her stomach, she thought about Ben. About that new life she wanted to start living. And as Lennie forced a hand between her legs, pushing hard against her, she realized that finding out Charlie was her real father wasn’t the worst shit that could happen to her. She’d get over it, she’d get over anything. She just needed to fight hard. And stop
this
.

‘We’re gonna be so good together, baby,’ Lennie murmured, pulling his hand away from her only to place it over her breast instead, squeezing it hard. ‘A new start’s just what we need. I might even forgive you for fucking another man, in time. Because you really shouldn’t have done that, Mia. You shouldn’t have let him touch you.’

She could feel his hard-on digging into her, turning her stomach again, but she knew what she had to do to distract him. She had to do it, or this was going to be over for her. ‘You’re right,’ she whispered, cupping his rough cheek in her hand, lifting his head so their eyes met. She needed him to look at her, to see nothing but her. ‘Maybe a new start
is
what we need. And I’m sorry, okay? For letting another man touch me.
 
I know it was wrong, and I’m sorry.’

He smiled, a smile that had once made her heart jump with joy, because there’d been a time when she’d loved this man. But that smile meant nothing now. She hated it, hated him, and everything he’d become. ‘I knew you’d come round to my way of thinking. You just needed a little reminder, that’s all.’

She tried to smile back, hoping it was a smile that reached her eyes because he needed to believe she was going for this. ‘Why don’t you remind me a little more, Lennie? Huh?’

His smile grew into a wider grin, and Mia braced herself, closing her eyes again as his mouth lowered down on to hers and it was all she could do not to pull away and throw up. He tasted of cigarettes and stale alcohol, the smell of him making her silently heave, but she had to go with this. Make him think she was on side. But that was a place she was never going to be.

Reaching behind her again she continued to give in to his kiss as she slowly and as quietly as she could opened the drawer to her left, feeling about inside until her fingers closed around the cold metal object. Carefully shutting the drawer, moaning softly to cover up any noise it might have made, she slid the gun into her back pocket, gently pushing Lennie away, but only slightly, that fake smile she was finding so hard to keep in place still on her face. ‘Now get the fuck away from me,’ she hissed, her tone of voice braver than she actually felt.

His expression changed in an instant, confusion quickly being replaced by another hateful sneer. ‘You don’t get to play games, sweetheart.’

‘Turn around, and get out. Now.’

He threw his head back and laughed, a loud, body-racking laugh that echoed around the kitchen. And in the split-second it took for his head to roll back, that was Mia’s opportunity. The only chance she was going to get, and she grabbed that chance, whipping the gun from her back pocket, but Lennie was too quick for her. It took just another split-second for him to push her back against the wall, his hand back around her wrist as he attempted to grapple the gun from her grasp. But a strength Mia hadn’t even realized she’d possessed seemed to be surging forward. It was as though a completely different entity had taken over her hand, her fingers tightening around the gun as though they’d been glued on to it.

‘You’re playing one hell of a dangerous game here, darlin’,’ Lennie sneered, his face right up against hers, that liqor-laced smell once more overwhelming her senses. But she had every reason to fight him now. He was nothing. A messed-up man who’d thrown his life away because he’d been unable to deal with something that, yes, it had been hard. Dealing with the death of someone close to you wasn’t something you got over easily. But Lennie had allowed his grief to change him forever. Not being able to control what had happened to his brother had left him unable to carry on as the person he’d once been. Instead he’d let control take over
him
. Let violence and revenge become the centre of his world. And yet, things could have been so different, if he’d just let people in. But this… this had to stop. ‘And anyone who plays games with me, they don’t win.’

She felt his hand slowly start to pull her fingers away from the gun. She’d let a momentary lapse of concentration almost cost her this situation, and she quickly closed them back around the handle, lifting a leg and kicking out at Lennie, so hard he staggered backwards.

‘Come near me again, and I will pull this trigger so fucking hard it breaks.’

Lennie eyes were fixed on hers, his stare defiant. ‘You haven’t got the bottle, Mia.’

‘You have no idea how much I want to put a bullet in that sorry fucking brain of yours.’

‘Like I said, sweetheart, you haven’t got the bottle.’

‘Haven’t I?’

He shook his head, smirking, watching as she carefully rested her finger on the trigger, slowly pulling it back, but once more his movements were too quick. He lunged at her, knocking the gun from her hand, grabbing her around the waist and pushing her face into the wall, yanking her arm up her back.

‘You won’t win this one, Mia. It’s gonna be so much easier if you just take what’s coming. You might even enjoy it. I mean, it’s been a long, long time since you felt my dick inside you. And believe me, baby, it is aching to go back in there.’

His words made the nausea rise up into her throat, but she swallowed it down, willing that anger and that strength she’d had not a minute ago to return; to help her out here. And she prayed silently to a God she wasn’t even sure existed, but if he did, she’d be forever grateful for his help.

‘Be a good girl, don’t fight this, and no one gets hurt. You hear me, darlin’?’

She nodded, trying to keep her breathing under control as she felt him slide a hand around her stomach, down to the zipper on her jeans. And that’s when the anger took over again; when she felt nothing but a raw, intense hatred for a man she’d ceased to recognize a long time ago. A hatred that rose up from the pit of her stomach, unleashing itself in a howl of anguish so loud it took Lennie completely by surprise, causing him to momentarily step back from her. But it was a moment that was long enough for Mia to crouch down and pick the gun back up, pointing it at him with a surprisingly steady hand, her face carrying no emotion as she stared at him.