Kace (Shattered Souls MC Book 3)

by Heather Dahlgren

  “Call your guys off and we’ll fucking talk,” Zane yells.

  “Not a fucking chance,” Bane laughs, folding his large tattooed arms. He’s a big guy and definitely hasn’t seen a gym in at least twenty years. His big, round belly hangs over his jeans, his dark eyes bounce around to all of us, while his wild, long gray hair stands at all angles.

  “Hawk, we need to talk,” Brooks says, not moving.

  Hawk looks around, uncertain of what to do. They trust us as much as we trust them. No one feels safe right now and that’s dangerous. Hawk runs his hand through his short salt and pepper hair, as he looks to his vice president for advice. Hawk rests his muscular tattooed arms behind his head, his broad shoulders getting wider as he appears to be having a silent conversation with Bane.

  I glance back at Zane and he nods slightly. If they don’t agree to this sit down, we’ll make sure it’s a painful mistake. I keep my gun pointed as I look around. This place is awful. It’s dark with just a few flickering lights. There are only three wooden tables, covered in beer bottles, and overflowing ashtrays. The walls have holes in them, and the floor is a patch job of tile and two by fours. I have to imagine this is the place they torment people because it looks abandoned. It pisses me off thinking about what could be going on behind the closed-door Hawk stands in front of.

  “Brooks, Enzo, and Zane come with us,” Bane says.

  A chill runs up my spine as I turn to look at them. I don’t like that he wants to talk in private. I’m not sure who’s in more trouble, the three of them going back or the five of us who stay here waiting.

  “No one comes back, if they try fucking kill them,” Z whispers has he walks past.

  I nod watching them all disappear behind the door. Once it clicks closed, my eyes bounce between the seven Raging Devils, guns still drawn by us all. Damon and Casper are the only two that I know. The others I’ve seen around but know nothing about. Damon is a massive motherfucker. I like to think I’m built, but I’m nothing compared to him. He’s got a shaved head with tattoos covering every part of him except for his face. His head, neck, arms, chest, and I’m sure more I can’t see, are all covered in ink. The blue T-shirt he’s got on is straining against his muscular body. Casper is not as massive as Damon, but he’s still big. He’s equal to me, but he only sports a few tattoos on each arm. His long brown hair is pulled back in a low ponytail, his dark eyes drill into each of us, as his muscles flex holding the gun. The rest of the club look young, maybe even younger than Finn, which I don’t like. It means they are reckless and not grown enough to question what they are told to do.

  Riley whispers something behind me, but I refuse to take my eyes or gun off Damon and Casper.

  “You have something to say?” A young kid growls, stepping closer.

  “Step back baby boy,” Riley hisses.

  “Baby boy?” he laughs with no humor. “I’ll skull fuck your daughter, grandpa.”

  Fuck. Before I can even turn around to stop Riley, he pulls the trigger and shoots the kid in the foot. “Learn some respect asshole,” he says, laughing.

  Damon takes a shot at Riley, but he misses, and I charge him. The gun slips from his hand, but I don’t get him down. I reach up and punch him across the jaw, just as his fist meets with mine. My focus is solely on Damon, but I hear the punches and grunts behind me, hoping it’s us who are dominating. My adrenaline is coursing through me and I manage to get Damon on the ground. I could easily shoot him, but I’m trying to avoid a war. We are rolling around on the floor, punch after punch being thrown. I use my Glock and crack him across his cheek, causing him to groan in pain. I know I need to get my gun out of reach but I’m fearful to toss it and one of the Raging Devils pick it up, so instead I drop the clip out, pushing that out of the way. Damon growls as he wraps his massive hand around my throat, locking his dark, angry eyes with mine.

  “Call your guys off,” he growls.

  I refuse to let him know he’s actually cutting off my airway, so I grin and lift my knee, slamming into his balls. He groans in pain as I quickly grab my clip and pushing it back in the gun. I stomp on his chest and cock my gun, pointing it at his head.

  “Call your guys off or they’ll be cleaning up your fucking brains,” I hiss. He tries to kick my legs out from under me and I instinctively pull the trigger, but I’m careful to make sure I hit the floor next to his head. “I’m not fucking playing.”

  “You’re dead,” he growls, and I apply more pressure on his chest. “Enough! Everyone back the fuck up.”

  I keep the gun pointed at him and turn around to see if my guys are whole. “Riley?”

  “We’re all good,” he calls back.

  I look back down at Damon and his face is red with anger, but he’s smart not to move. Kill or be killed and I’ll definitely be the one killing. All of this is a bad fucking sign. Their hatred toward us is much worse than I thought. Which makes us all a target. I hope Brooks is making a sweet deal because this won’t end good.

  “What the fuck is going on?” Brooks yells, coming out from the back. Zane rushes to me as Enzo rushes to the others.

  “A game of getting to know each other,” Riley says.

  “What the fuck?” Zane whispers, as he takes in the situation.

  “Not good,” I whisper back.

  “You’re all fucking dead,” Damon hisses looking between me and Zane.

  The threat is not something I’m taking lightly. I embarrassed him, which is worse than killing him. His massive size should’ve taken me down easily, yet I got the upper hand, and his guys see him on the floor at my mercy.

  “Let’s fucking go,” Z, says grabbing my arm.

  I keep the gun pointed at Damon as I back away toward the door. I don’t turn around until I’m outside and relief floods me. We rush to our bikes and get the hell out of there. On the way back to Souls, I start to relax, which makes me start to feel my injuries. Fuck, he got some good punches in and I’m feeling them all. I didn’t even notice the blood dripping down my face until now. I reach up and feel an open gash above my eye, flinching when I touch it. Fuck, I probably need stitches.

  When we park at Souls, I get off my bike and go to check on the others. Riley’s nose is bleeding, while Porter has blood dripping from his lip. Finn and Alex aren’t bleeding, but Alex is holding his ribs as we walk inside.

  “What the fuck?” Brooks roars when we all get inside. The place is busy, and we attract a lot of stares and whispers. “Get to the back,” he hisses.

  “You need stitches,” Zane says, slapping my back.

  “No shit,” I dryly comment.

  When we get around the table, I can feel the anger pouring off of Brooks. No one sits down and he slams his fits down on the long wooden table. “We’re trying to keep the fucking peace and I walk out to find everyone bleeding.” He turns his attention to me, his hands fisted on the table, as the muscle in his jaw ticks. “What the fuck where you thinking with Damon? He’s a loose fucking canon!”

  “He tried to shoot Riley, I was trying to contain the situation,” I growl.

  Brooks whips his head to Riley, who is now shirtless as he presses it against his nose. “Why the fuck did he take a shot at you?”

  “Those assholes are psycho! I made a small comment and mayhem ensued. I think my nose is broken,” he yells, muffled from the shirt in front of his mouth.

  Brooks takes a deep breath, running his head through his dark hair that is showing his age around the edges. “Someone tell me exactly what the fuck happened so you can all go get your fucking injuries taken care of and stop bleeding all over my goddamn table!”

  “One of the young kids started coming at us and I called him a baby boy. He said he’d skull fuck my daughter and called me grandpa, so I had to shoot him. No fucking respect.” Riley looks around, regret in his eyes. “Damon took a shot at me and it just blew up from there. I’m sorry guys,” he says.

  “Fucking Christ,” Enzo growls.

  “You better fucking
hope this deal goes through or we’re all gonna pay for your recklessness,” Zane hisses.

  My body is aching, and I copy Riley and pull my shirt off to wipe the blood from my eye, keeping pressure on the wound. I nod my head at Brooks. “What happened with Hawk and Bane?”

  “They like the idea, a lot. We need to get moving because if we can’t make it happen, they are gonna fight to the death for the Vegas Kings spot.”

  “Now what?” Porter asks.

  “Now these assholes get to the hospital and we get connection names from Harper. This deal has to go through,” Brooks says, hitting the table again. “Go get stitched up. We’ll all be in touch.”

  Zane grabs my arm as we walk out. “I’ll have Harper bring the car, I’ll take you guys to the hospital.”

  I’m not gonna argue. I just light a cigarette and hope that this is the beginning of the end because Damon wants my blood and he’s crazy enough to take it all.

  Chapter 4

  Ivy

  My phone rings again and I silence it. Mia has been calling and texting all weekend, but I don’t feel like talking to her. She wants to talk about what happened and I’m trying to forget it. I’ve been in bed all weekend still feeling like shit. I can’t keep anything down and I’m sure I must be dying. There’s no way I’m pregnant, I’m just sick. I close my eyes as tears sting them and blow out a breath. Please say I’m just sick.

  I know for sure that Kace used a condom, so I don’t know how I could be pregnant. I haven’t been with anyone since him, so if I was it’s definitely his and that scares the shit out of me. I shake my head, clearing those crazy thoughts. Mia got in my head. I’m not pregnant.

  My phone rings again and I moan. “What?” I answer without looking.

  “Fuck, Ivy. I have no idea where you live, and you could’ve been dead for all I knew. You can’t ignore my calls like that after saying you could be pregnant,” Mia yells.

  Guilt wraps around me as I blink back more tears. “I’m sorry. I just haven’t felt like talking.”

  “I need your address right now,” she shouts.

  I don’t feel like entertaining, but I’ve made her worry, so I give it without an argument. She tells me she will be here in a half hour, so I pull myself out of bed. I go into the bathroom and set the shower while I undress. I’ve been in the same black tank top and white night shorts for almost three days now. I just don’t even have the energy to shower, so I do it as quickly as I can. I feel like I got hit by a train. I’m exhausted and as good as the warm water feels, I need to sit down. I climb out of the shower, get dressed in pink sweatpants and a white loose-fitting tank top. I brush my hair and pull it up into a wet, messy bun. I drag my tired ass out to the couch and flop down on it, sighing in relief.

  Just as my eyes start to close, there’s a knock on the door. I groan as I stand up to let Mia in. When I open the door, I’m met with her bright smile. She looks perfect like always. Her blonde hair is pulled up in a bouncy ponytail, her makeup looks like a professional applied it, and her cut off jean shorts and black crop top show off her perfect body. I’ve never felt so inadequate in my life.

  “You look like shit, but I have a bag of goodies that will help,” she says, pushing past me. She spins around smiling. “Great apartment, Ivy. Time to stop hiding in it though.”

  “I feel like crap, Mia. I’m not hiding,” I whine, leaning against the counter.

  She begins emptying the bag, ignoring me. “I got you some chicken soup, crackers, lemon aide, water, tea, and a pregnancy test.”

  “What?” I yell, pushing off the counter.

  I go to grab it and she swats my hand away. “You might be sick, but you might be pregnant. Pretending isn’t gonna make it go away. You need to take this test and if it’s positive we can talk about what you want to do.” She reaches out grabbing my hand as she tilts her head. “I’m here as your friend, let me help you.”

  I roll my eyes and grab the pregnancy test. “Fine, but when it comes out negative, I’m going back to bed.”

  “That’s fine with me,” she calls out to my retreating form.

  I read the directions five times before I open the test. My heart is pounding, and my stomach is turning as I pee on the pink stick. I don’t know why I’m so nervous, I’m sure I’m not pregnant. After I finish, I put the stick on the sink and wash my hands. I want to walk away, but my eyes are glued to the test.

  “Can I come in?” Mia calls from the other side of the door.

  “Yeah,” I whisper.

  She comes in and looks at the test, before hopping up on the sink. “No matter what the results are, you can relax because at least you know. Not knowing is the scariest part.” I look up at her and she shrugs. “I’ve been here before.”

  “Obviously, it was negative,” I say.

  “No, it was positive. I lost the baby when I was just over three months pregnant,” she quietly says.

  I realize in this moment that there are two people here that are hurting for different reasons. “I’m so sorry, Mia.”

  “Me too, but this is about you.”

  I’m too scared to look so I keep my eyes on her. “This is the longest three minutes of my life.”

  “I know,” she says smiling. She peeks over and back at me. “Do you wanna look?”

  “No, but I guess I have to,” I whisper.

  She holds my hand and nods her head, still smiling. She’s not giving anything away. My heart is slamming against my chest so hard I can hear it, my palms are sweating, and my stomach is in knots. I’m terrified to look, but I take a deep breath and glance down at it.

  “Oh my God,” I whisper, my hand flying to my mouth. I look up at Mia, who is still smiling, and start to cry. “I’m pregnant.”

  “I know,” she softly says.

  “No, no,” I yell, shaking my head. “It’s wrong. He wore a condom.”

  “Condoms break, Ivy,” she calmly says. “There’s another test if you want to take it, but that test was already positive when I walked in here. It didn’t even need the three minutes.”

  The tears haven’t stopped, and my legs feel like they are going to give out on me. I hold onto the side of the sink and slowly drop to sit on the toilet. “What am I gonna do?” I ask, covering my face with my hands.

  “We’re gonna go into the living room, eat a little bit, and talk about your options,” she says, jumping off the sink. “Come on.”

  Reluctantly I get up and she grabs my hand, leading me to the living room. She has everything set up on my coffee table, waiting for me. She knew it was going to be positive.

  “I’m not hungry,” I say, sitting down. I pull my knees up and wrap my arms around them, resting my chin on my knees.

  “Drink some tea,” she says, handing it to me.

  I don’t even know her well and she’s being so incredibly sweet. I’m not sure if she realizes it or not, but it’s exactly what I need right now. It suddenly makes me miss Harper more than I have. Even when her life was on the line, she made sure I was happy and taken care of. I think she might like Mia too.

  I take a small sip of the tea and it feels good on my raw throat. I lift my sad eyes to Mia, and she grins. “What the fuck am I gonna do?”

  “That’s up to you,” she says. “There are a few options.”

  “No there aren’t, not for me,” I whisper, tears dripping down my cheeks.

  She moves to sit on the couch with me and takes the tea from my hand. “So, I guess we need to consider if you want a girl or a boy,” she says, laughing.

  “I can’t even think about that right now,” I say, wiping my eyes. “It’s his.”

  “I know that, but it’s also yours and bringing a baby into this world is an exciting time. You can’t focus on the bad, you need to stay positive and get excited. You’re gonna be a mom,” she yells excitedly.

  A small giggle makes it way out as I watch her excitement. “He’s not a bad guy, he’s part of a motorcycle club and it’s kinda scary,” I admit.r />
  “No shit, I never would’ve pegged you for a girl that would be into a guy like that,” she says in wonder.

  “Hey, what the hell does that mean?”

  She holds up her hands, shaking her head. “No offense, Ivy. I just picture you with a lawyer or cop, someone like that.”

  “He’s not gonna want this,” I whisper.

  “He doesn’t need to. I’ll help you. We’ll eventually need to find you a new apartment because this is only one bedroom and we can shop for the baby and I’ll go to your doctor appointments with you.” She smiles, fixing her ponytail. “We’ll make it work.”

  “We’re hardly friends, why would you offer to do all that?” It’s very nice of her, but I can’t ask her to change her life for me. She’s living a completely different life than I am. She’s always going out, always up for a good time, always with her boyfriend. As it should be. It’s so sweet of her to offer, but once the shock is gone, she’ll want to run, and I don’t blame her. This has nothing to do with her.

  “We’re friends and as your friend, I’ll be honest and tell you I had a friend that did the same for me. She didn’t need to, but she had a friend do it for her. It’s my way of keeping it going,” she explains.

  “I don’t want to tell him, he’s gonna be so pissed,” I whisper. My head is all over and I keep changing the subject on her, but I can’t help it. I’m scared.

  “You have to tell him, Ivy. He might be pissed, but he still has a right to know,” she says.

  I know she’s right, but I don’t want to think about that. He didn’t want a relationship, he’s not gonna want a family. My head snaps up to hers as my eyes widen. “What if he thinks I did this on purpose? What if he thinks I’m trying to trap him?”

  “All you can do is be honest with him. If he’s dumb enough to think that, you’re better off not being in his life.”

  “I’m gonna need to fly home for a few days. I need to talk to my best friend, but I need to do it in person,” I say.