Savage Kings MC Box Set 2

by Lane Hart

  “I thought you were alone,” he replies. “There was only one bike in the parking lot.”

  “Like you gave a shit!”

  “I did not wish to kill innocents. I-I made a mistake, and I will suffer for it the rest of my life.”

  “No, Jenna Higgins is the one who suffered. Her daughter will suffer! I suffered! You…you can rot in hell.”

  “Very well,” he says. “But you tried to kill me. You ripped off part of my face. If there is a hell, I think I will see you there.”

  Shaking my head on the pillow I tell him, “Liz was right. You don’t deserve the easy way out. Being locked up, living in a place like this, it’s hell on Earth. Death would be a relief if someone had to endure this. I don’t want you to have even an ounce of relief.”

  “So be it.”

  “So be it,” I repeat and then blow out a breath.

  Nothing could ever make up for him taking Jenna’s life, but it feels good to get that shit off my chest and to know that maybe he does have a conscience. I want him to feel guilty for killing her every second of every day.

  And yeah, I guess I’m glad I didn’t kill him in the cafeteria. If I had, I would be in his place, serving a life sentence instead of being with Liz or my brothers, and he would finally be…free.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Elizabeth

  Several of Cooper’s MC brothers are waiting for him in the parking lot of the jail after his bond was posted Tuesday morning.

  He looks awful, still moving slow from where he was stabbed, but it’s so unbelievably nice to see that he’s still in one piece. Well, almost in one piece. They shaved all of his beautiful hair off!

  Cooper greets each of the bikers with a hug, and then he sees me and freezes.

  “Who the hell is he?” he asks, pulling away from Torin’s masculine embrace to hobble over to where I’m waiting with Owen.

  “Ah, Cooper, this is my friend, Owen,” I say.

  “Owen?” he repeats as he glares at the other man. “I thought he had a shit ton more time to serve on his murder charges?”

  “He got out on parole,” I say.

  “I thought your office told us there was no such thing as parole?” Gabriel shouts. “We asked you all about getting Ian out on parole, and you told us it would never happen!”

  “They only allow it for extremely special circumstances,” I reply.

  “So…” Cooper stares at Owen and I, until Owen shifts uncomfortably. “I guess this means that you choose him, huh? You’re with him now?” Cooper asks.

  “Cooper, no. That’s not…”

  “You’ve been waiting for him for sixteen fucking years, and now here he is in the flesh! Congratufuckinglations! Guess all your hard work finally paid off.”

  “I didn’t do this,” I start to explain, to tell him Owen has lung cancer and not much time left.

  “Don’t worry. You two can tie the knot soon. I’ll have my attorney call you when our annulment papers are ready to be signed.”

  “Cooper, wait!” I shout at his back as he stomps away. “Dammit, Cooper, hold on!” I start to follow him, but his MC buddies close ranks and just scowl at me.

  “Give him some time,” a bearded giant rumbles at me. I think his name is Abe. “Even a little prison time makes a man jumpy. We’ll get him a beer and talk to him, straighten him out, okay?”

  “It’s going to be fine, Liz,” Owen says as he walks up to me and pats me awkwardly on the shoulder. “Let’s do what the, ah, big man says and give him some space.”

  “I gave him some space before and look where he ended up!” I cry as I turn on my heel and start stalking back to my car. I stop abruptly and turn back to the Savage Kings. “Please keep an eye on him, for fuck’s sake! I mean, he’s supposed to be your ‘brother’ or something, and you let him end up here, like this!”

  “We’ll handle him,” Torin agrees. “And keep him on a tight leash. You’ve been through a lot the past few days too, so go get some rest yourself. We’ll talk to you soon, Liz.”

  Cooper

  I climb into the back of the van for the ride back to the clubhouse. When Cedric gets in and cranks it up, he turns as though he wants to say something. I stubbornly look out the window and avoid his gaze, refusing to acknowledge that I can hear him. With a shake of his head, he pulls out of the parking lot and falls into place at the rear of the convoy of motorcycles escorting us.

  We don’t speak all the way to the clubhouse. Even when we get back, I wave off my brothers and go on inside, heading behind the bar to get a clean glass and pour a pitcher of beer.

  “Chapel in five,” Torin barks at me as he comes inside. “You can bring the beer with you. I’ll allow it this time. Not you, Dalton!” he adds, as he sees the broad grin stretch across the man’s face.

  “Ah well,” Dalton shrugs as he walks over to the bar. “Pour me one while you’re back there, bro,” he says to me. “That was a fine-looking woman out there waiting for you,” he observes as I pull a pint for him from the tap. “What was all that business about?”

  “My business, that’s what it’s about,” I growl as I slide the beer to him.

  “Thanks,” he nods as he raises the glass and drains it in a few gulps. “Dusty as fuck out there riding in formation. Makes a man thirsty. I’m not going to tell you your business any more than you ever told me mine, Coop. All I’m gonna say is that if a woman shows up to greet you at the prison door, that’s a woman who’ll stand by you. Loyalty’s rare outside these walls.”

  “When the fuck did you become some sort of redneck Aristotle?” I sneer at him.

  “I don’t know who the hell that is,” he says without an ounce of shame. “But I do know ass and titties, and that woman who came to see you was inordinately blessed with both.”

  Several of the guys erupt into laughter as I feel my face redden with a surge of rage. I quickly cool off as I drain my glass, though, expecting nothing less from my brother. Dalton has always been a nasty piece of work. His old lady may have calmed down his wild ways, but he will still take any chance he gets to push his friends’ buttons.

  “Oh, quit sulking,” Miles says. “Prison is supposed to toughen you up. Everyone’s heading downstairs. Grab your pity beer and let’s go.”

  I follow him downstairs with my glass and pitcher and take my place at the Savage Kings table. Once Cedric has collected all of our cell phones, he leaves without a word and closes the door behind him.

  Torin leans back in his chair and looks over all of us before he begins. “Normally I’d welcome back a brother who just got out of prison, but I’m going to forego that today,” he says as his gaze lingers on me. “We all fuck up now and then, and we’ll always be here to help each other out when that happens. Cooper, is there anything you want to talk about today?”

  “Thanks for the ride home, boys,” I tell the table as I raise my glass. Everyone except Torin slaps the table. Instead, he picks up his gavel and raps it once, commanding silence.

  “I’m not going to share your personal business at the club table,” Torin says, still eyeing me directly. “But I want you to know I ordered Cedric to tell me everything that’s been going on. He didn’t want to,” Torin says as he raises a hand to stop me from any outburst. “And normally I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t have concerns. I’ll just say this — your brothers are concerned. We love you, Coop, and each of us has had enough experience with tragedies to understand what you must be going through after Avalon. Don’t ever feel like you’re alone. Reach out, and our hands will always be there.”

  I don’t know if it’s the beer, exhaustion, or just a combination of everything from the last few weeks getting to me, but I feel my eyes begin to swell with tears. Tears, of all fucking things, in the goddamn chapel. I’ve got a lump so big in my damned throat I can’t seem to form any words, so I simply raise my glass again.

  I half expect Miles or Reece to make a snide comment, but instead every man at the table starting with Chase looks
dead at me and says, “You’re not alone, brother. We’re here for you.”

  By the time they’ve gone around the table, I’ve cleared my throat enough to say, “I appreciate you, and all you’ve done to help me. I think…I think I do need some help, but it’s too much for me to talk about right now in the chapel. Let’s get down to business, and I’ll reach out to you boys afterwards and have a chat.”

  “Good,” Torin smiles. “Now, moving on. Gabriel, how have you been doing staying here at the clubhouse while we get the new tattoo shop sorted out?”

  “It’s fine, man. I spend time rebuilding my stock of needles and inks so I can do some limited work here, if anyone wants. Other than that, I’ve just been rebuilding my portfolio from images Reece was good enough to recover from the server for me. I’ll be ready for action whenever we can reopen.”

  “I’m glad to hear it,” Torin nods. “All of you know how much we need both the club and the tattoo shop open and operating. They’re primarily cash businesses, which allow us to launder our money easily. We’ve been getting a lot of heat lately; and while our books and numbers are fine, I’ll feel better once operations resume. Now, all that heat we’ve been getting lately leads me to my next point. It has been suggested to me, and I want to bring to the table, the idea to suspend our weed growing and shipping business temporarily.”

  There was no outcry at the table, much to my surprise, as our marijuana business was supremely profitable. After a moment of silence, Torin continued.

  “Legalization is just around the corner, and I’m suggesting that we limit our grow operation to only a personal stash for each of us to dip into, as you choose. I don’t want to cut us off completely. Hell, even I like a bit now and then. But for the first time in much too long, almost all of us are out of prison and together. I want to see that happen, and I’ve been assured by Reece that once the new Avalon is up and running, with its ‘online offerings’, it will more than offset any losses in revenue. Any objections to going clean?”

  When no one objects, Torin raps the gavel on the table. “I’ll give the orders then and make it happen. The last thing I want to talk about is Ian. Some of you already know that he’s finally coming home, in just three weeks!”

  Torin has to wait for us to settle down at the proclamation, as Gabriel leads a hand banging and cheering that almost vibrates my beer off the table.

  “We’re going to throw one hell of a welcome home for our brother,” Torin says. “Reece, I know we’re a bit crowded right now, but we’ve still got that room down the hall beside Gabriel, near you. You okay with getting your guns out of there and preparing it for our brother?”

  “I’ll even wash the sheets,” Reece confirms. “Abe, if you don’t mind, come help me with my ammo crates after the meeting, though.”

  Abe glowers at Reece briefly before his beard breaks open into a smile. “I don’t think my back was right for a week after hauling it all inside. At least I don’t have to bring it down the stairs this time!”

  “I’ll leave the specifics up to you guys, just make sure it’s ready,” Torin tells them. “Gabe, you can help get Ian’s room decorated or furnished, if you want, since you know what kind of shit he likes. I’ll get with each of you for the specifics on getting ready for his party. I’m going to want at least a dozen extra kegs this month, and I’m planning on putting a pig into the pit to smoke along with a whole lot of ribs.”

  Once our cheers subside following that announcement, Torin looks us all over one more time. “Anybody got anything else? If not, let’s go have some fun. Cooper, you can hang around if you want, but I already told Cedric to wait for you with the van,” he adds as he bangs the gavel to dismiss us.

  “You grounding me and sending me home?” I grin at Torin as everyone files out.

  “No, that boy Owen who was with Liz said he wanted to talk to you after you settled down. I gave him your address and told him to meet you over there later if he wanted to talk.”

  “What the fuck, Torin? Do you really think the first thing I want to do when I get home is have a chat with Liz’s new…old…fuck, I don’t know, her man?”

  “I don’t care what you want,” Torin snarls, suddenly reminding me why we made him our leader as he leans forward and backs me down. “You’re going to go talk to him, and you’re going to figure your shit out. Cedric is going to take you. Cedric is going to call me if anything I wouldn’t approve of transpires. I’m not ‘grounding’ you, but I am going to keep an eye on you and make sure you don’t hurt yourself or this club. I love you, you stubborn bastard. Now get out of here.”

  “Yes, sir,” I reply sheepishly, before picking up my now empty pitcher and glass, then heading upstairs. I don’t dawdle around the clubhouse, realizing that this is one band-aid that’s probably better to go ahead and rip off cleanly, rather than just keep picking at it.

  Cedric has the good sense not to try and talk to me on the ride back to my house. When we pull into my driveway and see the little blue rental car sitting out front, I sigh heavily and rub a hand over my stubbly head.

  “Everything all right?” Cedric asks.

  “Yeah, man, it’s going to be fine,” I reply.

  “I feel like I should apologize for…” Cedric starts before I unbuckle my seatbelt and begin to get out of the van.

  “No,” I interrupt him. “You don’t need to. I’m not mad at you, kid. When Torin asks you a question, you answer. You’ve done right by me, Cedric, and I won’t forget it. Hang out in the van for now, though, okay? I’ll handle this, whatever this is.”

  “All right, man. If you need me, I’ll be here.”

  Just looking at Owen sitting on my porch brings a flush back to my cheeks. I hate that I always get so red when I’m pissed off. “What the fuck do you want?” I snarl at him when I get to the foot of the stairs. “You come here to brag about banging Liz?”

  “Liz and I aren’t together. She misses you.”

  “Bullshit. You’re the only one she’s ever wanted to be with. You’re the reason she went to law school and the reason she wouldn’t ever go on one fucking date with me. All she could give me was a few fucks in her office.”

  “She married you. That means something,” he says. “But you’re right. She was waiting for me. I made her promise to wait for me and told her that I would get out and we would have a life together someday. But I was wrong.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “She loves you, man. We were stupid teenagers when we were together. After I got arrested, she was the only thing I had, the only person who believed me and stood by me. I made her make a stupid promise even though it wasn’t fair for me to do that to her…to make her give up living her life because I fucked up my own.”

  “You’re out now. You can both have what you always wanted. Isn’t that why you’re here? Isn’t that what you’re after?”

  “No. She doesn’t love me the way she loves you. You two…you’re the real deal, and I’m a distant memory. She’s a different person now. Besides, I’ve only got a few months before I leave her.”

  “What do you mean before you leave her?”

  “I’m dying, man. My days are numbered. I’ve got stage four lung cancer. That’s the reason they let me out of prison early. The feds didn’t want to foot the bill for my healthcare and funeral.”

  “Oh.”

  “And even if I wasn’t dying, if I was a free man with a full life ahead of me, it wouldn’t matter, because Liz and I are only friends. That’s all we’ll ever be now. Just think about it before you end your marriage with her. You got her to agree to take vows with you. With her, that’s something incredibly special.”

  “We did it for a kid. A kid that we lost.”

  “No, that was only part of it,” he says. “She didn’t know the kid at the time. She did it for you. Liz told me all about the adoption that went south and how much it meant to you.”

  Owen steps down off my porch and heads towards the car in my driveway. �
�Look, Cooper, if you seriously want to annul your marriage to Liz, she’ll let you. But don’t do it because of me. I came here so you would understand that I’m not in this picture. I’m going to enjoy the time I’ve got left and seeing Liz happy would certainly make that a lot easier on me. I know her, and I know that her love for you is the real thing. I can’t imagine how much it hurt losing that little girl you were fostering, but that pain is nothing compared to what you’re going to feel if you let her slip away. Think about it, man, and do what you need to do to make this right. I’ll get out of your hair now, or what’s left of it, anyhow. That prison cut doesn’t suit you, you know that, right?”

  “Yeah, man, I know,” I sigh as Owen opens up his car door. “Hey, Owen? Thanks. For being a good friend to Liz. Hell, for everything.”

  “It’s the least I can do to repay her for all she’s done for me,” he replies with a nod. “Make the right decision,” he adds as he climbs into the car, and then pulls away.

  “The right decision,” I mutter as I pull my phone out of my pocket.

  It only takes me a moment to find the message I received from the doctor’s office with my mental health referral. I sit down on my porch steps but only hesitate for a moment before making the call.

  Liz deserves better. And who knows? With a little help, maybe being better is possible, even for me.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Elizabeth

  “Hey, it’s good to see you,” Cooper says when I walk into the conference room.

  “Where are our attorneys?” I ask.

  “I asked them to give us a minute alone. They didn’t want to, so I sort of had to threaten their lives and shit.”