by Nicola Jane
Surviving Storm
Kings Reapers MC Book 7
Nicola Jane
Surviving Storm
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are all products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any similarities are entirely coincidental.
Surviving Storm Copyright © 2021 by Nicola Jane. All rights are reserved. No part of this
book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission from the author,
except in the case of brief quotations used in articles or reviews. For information, contact Nicola Jane.
Cover Designer: Charli Childs, Cosmic Letterz Design
Editor: Rebecca Vazquez, Knox Publishing
Proofreader: Jackie Ziegler, Knox Publishing
Publisher: Knox Publishing
Surviving Storm can be read as a standalone, but it follows on from the sixth book in the series, Misleading Lake.
Created with Vellum
Contents
Spelling Note
Warning
Acknowledgments
Playlist
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Available Now by Nicola Jane
Social Media
Spelling Note
Please note, this author resides in the United Kingdom and is using British English. Therefore, some words may be viewed as incorrect or spelled incorrectly, however, they are not.
Trigger Warning
The material in this book may be viewed as offensive to some readers, including graphic
language, sexual situations, murder, violence, mental illness, and addiction.
Acknowledgments
A quick thank you to everyone who has read and loved the Kings Reapers so far. Thanks to each and every one of you who left a review or rating or spread the word and recommended the series to your friends and family. I’ve been overwhelmed with how much people have loved Riggs, Cree, Chains, Blu, Blade, and Lake, so I hope you like Storm just as much.
Thank you to the amazing people who let me ask questions and helped me understand addiction and mental illness. You helped me so much.
Check out Nicola Jane’s playlist for Surviving Storm!
Stay Away - Mod Sun ft. Machine Gun Kelly
Heavy - Linkin Park ft. Kiiara
I’m Not Mad - Halsey
Don’t Waste My Time - Post Malone ft. G-Eazy
Beauty in the Struggle - Bryan Martin
Sorry Not Sorry - Demi Lovato
Shattered Glass - Britney Spears
Animals - Maroon 5
I Knew You Were Trouble - Taylor Swift
Issues - Julia Michaels
What Other People Say - Demi Lovato ft. Sam Fischer
I’m Gonna Show You Crazy - Bebe Rexha
Crazy Love - Halsey & Post Malone ft. G-Eazy
No More Drama - Mary J. Blige
I Hope - Gabby Barrett
Hate The Way - G-Eazy ft. blackbear
Man! I Feel Like A Woman! - Shania Twain
Chapter One
LOTTIE
Mental health. Everything comes back to mental health. I stare blankly at the counsellor. She’s got no interest in me. They never have. I could spill my guts out to this woman and never see her again, then I’d have to tell the exact same story tomorrow to the next one. It’s a pointless game we keep playing.
“So, you’re telling me this was an accident,” she says doubtfully.
I nod. “What can I say, a TikTok video gone wrong.” I shrug, and she stares at me for a few seconds before signing the paperwork.
“I’m gonna check on you tomorrow,” she says. “Will you be at this address?” She holds up the clubhouse address.
“Yes,” I mutter.
“And who is collecting you today?”
“I’m not sure,” I say. “My brother or one of his brothers.” She frowns in confusion, but I ignore her and send a text off to Sara, my real brother’s ol’ lady.
Me: Can you come get me from the hospital? Small accident when making a TikTok, nothing to worry about but don’t tell Lake.
Sara: I can’t lie to your brother. I’ll send someone to get you now. Wait at the main entrance.
Me: It isn’t lying, it’s just not telling him.
Lake’s been in my life for a few months now and we’re working on our relationship. It’s not perfect by far. Our mum left us both, although I spent longer with her. She had Lake young and gave him up for adoption. I was born a few years later, and she tried to be a mum but got it so wrong, so I ended up in care just like Lake.
I stand outside in the cold. It’s freezing today, and I came here in pyjamas. Hearing the rumble of a bike, I sigh with relief, but that soon vanishes when Storm, the newest club member who transferred from Nottingham, stops at the kerb and takes off his helmet to assess me with his dark eyes. I reckon my counsellor would take one look at this hot mess and tell me he’s a psychopath. It’s something in his eyes.
He steps off the bike and moves towards me with the stealth of a lethal animal. Without a word, he grabs my arm. I try to pull away, but he’s strong and his grip is bruising as he pushes up my sleeve. He stares at the bandages and then, without any questions, tugs and unwinds the sticky tape. I’m either too shocked or too mortified to object.
He stares at the deep lacerations across my arm with interest, pressing his thumb next to the deepest one. Spots of blood pool on the surface and it coats his digit. “What are you doing?” I whisper, almost as mesmerised as he is.
His brow furrows because I’ve interrupted his trance-like state, and he wraps the bandage back around my arm. I gasp when he pops his thumb into his mouth to clean my blood away.
Storm gets on the bike and pushes his helmet on, offering me the spare. I climb on, trying not to press myself against him, but my efforts are futile because he grips me by the knees and tugs hard, so I don’t have a choice. He holds me there for a second, making sure I don’t move. Satisfied I’m staying put, he kicks the bike to life and drives us home.
When we arrive back, Sara is waiting for me. She’s holding Leo against her chest and pacing. “What happened?” she demands to know the second I step inside.
“I hurt my arm when I was learning a dance. Fell into my mirror,” I say. It’s not strictly a lie—the mirror did break.
“Shit, why didn’t you wake me? I would have come with you.”
“I’m a big girl,” I say, smiling. “It’s nothing, just a small cut. I didn’t want you to tell Lake cos he’d laugh, and I’d never hear the end of it.”
“True,” agrees Sara. “Thanks for getting her, Storm. I owe you.”
I’m staring at the large screen television in the main room of the Kings Reapers MC clubhouse. The women have put on some kind of rom com, but I don’t take notice. I can’t stop thinking about yesterday and my ex’s announcement over social media—his girlfriend, my former best friend, gave birth to their child. It was like a punch to the gut.
“Lottie!” Tiny yells, and I glance over to where he’s standing at the entrance. “Visitor,” he adds, opening the door to
let her in as my eyes widen. I’d forgotten! I dive from the couch and rush over to Doctor Welsh.
“Can we do this outside?” I hiss out.
Lake comes up behind me and places his hands on my shoulders. “I’m Lake,” he says, holding out his hand for her to shake. She does, smiling. “Charlotte’s brother.”
“She mentioned you,” says Welsh, showing off her perfectly white teeth. “I’m Dr. Welsh.”
“Shall we go outside?” I push.
“No need for that,” says Lake. “The office is free.”
“Lake, it’s a quick chat. It’s fine,” I say.
He fixes me with a hard stare. “Now, Lottie,” he says firmly. Tears form in my eyes, but I swallow the lump in my throat and follow him, smiling awkwardly at Welsh.
“If this is a bad time,” says Welsh as Lake takes a seat in the office, “I can come back.” He points at two seats, so I take one.
“Why are you here?” asks Lake, and Welsh side-eyes me.
“Just to check on her dressings.”
“And?” Lake questions, clearly not buying it. “We’ve never had a private visit from a doctor, and we’ve had a lot of dressings need changing in this place.”
“I really can’t discuss my patients,” she says hesitantly. “I think Lottie would prefer we speak in private.”
Lake arches his brows at me, and I stare down at my feet. “You wanted to build our relationship, so shouldn’t I know everything?” he snaps.
“Maybe you two should talk and then Lottie can call me when she’s ready,” suggests Welsh.
“Lottie?”
“It’s nothing,” I snap. “I cut myself by accident, and she thinks I tried to hurt myself.”
Lake stares at me for a long minute. “Start talking,” he hisses.
“I have a history,” I mutter. “But it’s been ages since I . . .” Trailing off, I sigh heavily. “Things get a bit much sometimes,” I whisper, and my eyes fill with tears again. “But I never . . . I didn’t mean to . . . I don’t . . .” I give up, burying my face in my hands and sobbing.
Lake stands. “Stay here,” he orders. “Me and you need to talk,” he says to Welsh, and she follows him from the room.
Seconds later, Storm comes in, stopping mid-step when he sees me. “Lake sent me in to watch you,” he says.
“Oh,” I mumble, wiping my eyes on my sleeves. This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell Lake. He’ll watch my every move, and then when he sees I’m too crazy, he’ll kick me out . . . and I wouldn’t blame him—he has enough on.
Storm sits in the chair opposite me. “Serious shit when the shrink does a home visit,” he says. I watch the way he leans back in the chair. His large, well-built frame is mesmerizing. How does a man that big get around without knocking into shit? His muscles bunch as he leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “And now your secret’s out.”
“I don’t have any secrets,” I mutter.
“Oh, you do,” he accuses, his brown eyes narrowing like he’s trying to read my mind. “So many, you’re ready to break,” he adds thoughtfully.
I look away, unable to stand his assessing eyes. “I want to go to my room,” I say.
“No,” he replies firmly.
“You can’t stop me,” I snap. “I’m not a prisoner.”
“Try it,” he says, leaning back again and smirking. “Go on. Try.” I frown, glancing from him to the door. “I’m waiting,” he says. I push to my feet and run for the door. His hand slams against it as I pull it, and it closes with a sharp bang. Both his hands rest above my head, my back to his front. “You can’t escape me, little broken butterfly,” he whispers into my ear, and I shudder. “Shall we sit back down?”
“I want Lake,” I whisper.
“Sit down, Charlotte,” he says more firmly. I duck under his arm and take my seat. “You can’t keep running,” he says. “It’ll just follow you.”
“I’m not running,” I snap.
“You are. Things are good and you think you’re cured, then you have a bad day and wanna run. But it’ll happen again. The bad days will always come.”
“Stop trying to get in my head,” I hiss.
“I’m already in it, butterfly. And that’s dangerous for both of us.”
STORM
Fuck, fuck, fuck. Now what! Why the hell was I sitting on my ass in the club yesterday? If I’d have gone out with Taya and Seb like she’d asked me to, I wouldn’t have ended up picking Lottie up from the hospital. When Sara asked me, I could hardly say no. I’m trying to make a good impression around here, hoping to stick around for Seb’s sake.
I pace back and forth in my room, tugging at my hair like I always do when I’m stressed. Lake specifically warned me off his sister. I can’t ever go there if I wanna stay.
I dial her number. I know I shouldn’t, and she probably won’t answer, but it doesn’t stop me hoping. When it connects, I hold my breath as if she’ll guess it’s me just by hearing me. “Hello?” she answers. Everything stops. My racing heart, my fucked-up thoughts . . . it all stops just because of her. “Hello?” she repeats. I can’t answer. I shouldn’t. “Storm,” she says hesitantly. “Storm, is that you?”
“Laura,” I mutter and hear her intake of breath.
“You shouldn’t be calling me,” she whispers.
“I’m sorry. I just . . .” I pause. What do I say to explain why I’ve broken the restraining order for the second time within two months?
“Are you trying to get yourself arrested? If Tommy knew, he’d call the police.” I clench my jaw at the mention of her fiancé’s name. “This is your fresh start.”
“I just needed to hear your voice,” I explain. “To stop the noise.”
“Bullshit. You can’t keep leaning on me like that. Find something else to stop the noise.” She disconnects the call, and I stare at her number. There’s no point in deleting it because I know it by heart. The judge advised her to change it, but she’d never do that because her brother went missing years ago and she lives in the hope he’ll turn up one day or remember her phone number. I used to tell her she shouldn’t cling to that hope. Mainly because I knew he wouldn’t ever come back. He crossed the MC and we disposed of him. Of course, I never told her that part, but I don’t regret it because it led me to her.
My sister, Taya, hands me a beer. “Seb was really unsettled at bedtime,” she says. I’m distracted, and she sighs when I don’t respond. “What is it?”
“I fucked up,” I mutter.
“Again?” she asks, raising her brows.
“I called Laura.”
Her eyes widen. “You did what?” she snaps. “That’s so far past fucked up!”
“I know,” I hiss. “I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“Did she pick up?”
“Yes.”
She buries her face in her hands, groaning. “Storm, I don’t know how to help you.”
“It was a slip-up. It won’t happen again.”
“That’s not good enough. We’ve moved to start again. I’ve given up my life to help you, and you keep fucking up. You have to stop.”
I nod. “I know.” I slide my phone across the table. “Riggs is gonna keep hold of this for a while. No temptation then.”
“What if there’s an emergency with Seb? How will I get hold of you?”
“I don’t know the fucking answers, Taya. I’m trying to make it harder for me to pick up and dial her damn number. What do you suggest?”
“You’re right. Sorry.” She looks around the clubhouse. “I should make an effort with the women here,” she says. “If we’re sticking around.”
“We are,” I confirm. “I told you, I like it here.”
“What’s her story?” Taya asks, nodding towards where Lottie is sitting, staring at the wall. All the other women are chatting, but she’s not paying any attention. “Didn’t you pick her up from the hospital yesterday?”
I nod. “She said she fell into a mirror.”
“The
club girls were talking about her. They think she hurt herself on purpose. A doctor turned up here earlier.”
I scowl. “Club girls shouldn’t be talking about her. Lake would have a fit. Why are you listening to club girls anyway?” I snap.
“They were just talking, and I happened to be in the same room. I can’t turn my ears off.” “Next time, pull them up on that shit.”
“I can’t pull rank in a new place, Storm. What’s your problem anyway? You don’t even know these people.”
“I want us to make a home here, and that starts with defending our own.”
Chapter Two
LOTTIE
“Are we gonna talk?” asks Lake, breaking my daydreaming.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” I say, smiling. “I’m fine. I promise. Everyone has down days . . . it’s just sometimes mine are a little extreme.”
“What caused your down day?”
“I don’t know,” I lie. “Sometimes, I overthink. That’s why I like to keep busy. Speaking of which, did you ask Riggs about a job for me?”
Lake sits next to me. “Do you think it’s a good idea?”
“Yes, it’s a very good idea!”
“Just with everything . . .”
“Argh!” I stand, taking him by surprise. “You don’t have to wrap me in cotton wool. I. AM. FINE.” I march towards the exit, needing air.