Kace (Shattered Souls MC Book 3)

by Heather Dahlgren

  “What if he won’t deal with the Raging Devils?” Riley asks.

  I snap my head to him and narrow my eyes. “Nervous now?”

  “Fuck you,” he hisses.

  “Both of you shut the fuck up,” Brooks growls. “We can’t worry about that until we need to.”

  We should have a backup plan, but I’m not going to say anything. I’m as hopeful as Brooks that it will work, but there should always be a plan B. I know the only reason Damon hasn’t tried to kill me yet is because they are hoping to get this deal. If it falls through, the threat becomes imminent.

  I glance at Z and he’s watching the cigarette burn away between his fingers. Brooks has his hands fisted on the table, Enzo keeps running his hand through his beard and all signs point to they think this isn’t going to work. If they truly believed it, we’d be talking, laughing, probably even having a few beers, but we aren’t. We’re sitting in complete silence.

  Brooks’ phone rings and we all lean closer to hear. “Hey,” he answers.

  He put it on speaker phone, resting it on the table. “Is this Brooks?”

  “Yeah.”

  “This is Vincent. I don’t have long, so I’ll get right to it. I got word you have an offer for me, so don’t bullshit me just tell me what it is,” he says.

  Brooks looks around and we all nod for him to just do it. “I’m aware you used to do business with Lou Kingsley. I’m also aware that that situation doesn’t exist anymore. I can hook you up with someone who will double what you did with Kingsley.”

  “Why should I believe that?” Vincent questions.

  He’s not wrong to ask, he doesn’t know shit about us. I have no doubt his defenses are up and he thinks this could be some kind of a set up. That’s what I would think.

  “Look, I’m trying to help you out and myself out by keeping the drugs out of my neighborhood. I’m doing this just as much for you as I am for me,” Brooks explains.

  I have no idea if that is what this guy wants to hear. It’s a risky move and I hope it pays off, but there is no way to convince someone to believe you that doesn’t know you. Especially when that deal is drugs. The line is silent, and we all look around. Riley keeps nodding his head like the deal is going to happen. Finn hasn’t uncrossed his arms since we walked in. Alex keeps rubbing the back of his neck and Porter hasn’t taken his eyes off the phone. Zane glances at me and I lift my shoulders in a silent answer to his silent question. He wants to know what I think but I honestly don’t know. It could go either way.

  “Who is it?” Vincent finally asks.

  Brooks looks at Enzo who quietly curses. “It’s Hawk from the Raging Devils MC,” he says.

  “I have research to do, I’ll call you back in exactly one hour.”

  The line goes dead and Brooks slams his fist on the table. “Fuck!”

  “Once they look into the Raging Devils we’re screwed,” Zane growls.

  Porter leans forward, shaking his head. “We don’t know that. This crew could be just as bad or not give a shit as long as they are moving product. Let’s wait and see.”

  I want to believe that, but who the fuck wants to do business with guys who have a reputation as vile as theirs? It’s why we don’t want them anywhere near us, but maybe Porter is right.

  “Let’s go have a quick beer while we wait,” Enzo suggests.

  We all go out into the bar and I grab Z’s arm. “What do you think?”

  He blows out a breath as he runs his hand through his hair. “I think they’re gonna pass and we’re gonna be up against those crazy motherfuckers.”

  I nod as I play with my lip ring, I was finally able to put back in. “I feel the same.”

  I start thinking of Ivy coming back and I suddenly wish she’d stay in California until this all blows over. It’s not the fact of protecting her, I know I can do that. I just don’t want her to be put through another war so fast. She’s not like any of the other girls that are usually around. She’s still having nightmares about what happened with the Vegas Kings. The Raging Devils are no comparison to that. She’ll walk away before we even make a go at this. I can start to understand now why Zane felt he was going crazy and Ivy’s not even here.

  “I know that look,” Z says, breaking my thoughts.

  I grab the beer he offers me and lift my shoulders. “She barely accepts the club as it is. This is going to have her running faster than before.”

  He slaps my back after sipping his beer. “Your mind is gonna fuck with you, you’re gonna feel helpless, and pissed at the world. But if you really want it to work, you’re gonna need to be honest with her. I tried keeping Harper in the dark and it only made shit worse. You aren’t protecting her by lying to her, believe me.” He lifts his beer to me before taking a long sip.

  I blow out a frustrated breath as I reach back to hold onto my neck. “I need to make sure they are both safe.”

  “Who?” Alex asks, stepping up to us.

  I quickly look at Zane letting him know now is not the time, before grinning at Alex. “Ivy and her friend Mia. They are driving here, and I hate thinking of the distance they are going alone.” Zane smirks knowing how quickly I covered it up.

  “You really like her, huh?” Alex asks.

  “Yeah man, I really like her,” I admit.

  He taps his beer against mine and smiles. “Good for you. You guys should’ve given in to that a long fucking time ago,” he says, laughing.

  I can’t even argue with him because he’s right. I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that she’s pregnant and moving in with me. I need to tell the club, but I didn’t want to do that without her. She needs to be beside me when they are told.

  “So, what do you guys think?” Alex asks.

  “Guess we’ll see,” I say, shrugging.

  He finishes off his beer and nods. “Yeah, I don’t have a good feeling though.”

  “I don’t think any of us do, brother,” Zane says.

  The hour goes by faster than any of us want and we are sitting around the table again. Brooks looks equally pissed and nervous and I can’t blame him. It’s pretty much how I think we’re all feeling. He lights a cigarette and leans back in his leather chair as the smoke billows around him.

  “Let’s come up with a plan B,” he says.

  That’s all that needs to be said. If our president isn’t optimistic none of us are. “We can burn down Club Kingsley,” Riley suggests.

  We all look at him and I’m not sure if I think it’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard or the most genius thing I’ve ever heard.

  “It’s smart if it would keep them away, but the Raging Devils want our blood now. They’ll burn down both of our Souls with us in them,” Enzo says.

  I scrub my face as I realize how right Enzo is. There’s no easy way out of this. “We kill them all,” I growl. They all look at me and I fist my hands on the table. “Look, we can sit here and talk about a million ways to keep them out of here, but Enzo is right, they want our blood. The only way to stay whole is to kill them first.”

  “Fuck,” Brooks says running his hands through his hair. “Kace is right. If this doesn’t go through, we need to strike first.”

  Just then the phone rings and Brooks answers. “Brooks?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I did my research on the Raging Devils and there’s not a shot in fucking hell I want to be mixed up with them. I’d gladly talk to you about working together though,” Vincent says.

  I close my eyes trying to contain the rage I am feeling. We need to move and fast. Once they realize we have nothing to barter with, they will come in here looking to kill us all. Fucking Riley and his big ass mouth. It probably wouldn’t be this bad if he just kept his comments to himself.

  “That’s not our style, thanks for the offer,” Brooks says, sounding completely defeated.

  “Fine enough. Good luck,” Vincent says, hanging up.

  Brooks stares at the phone like it’s going to ring again, and Vincent
will have changed his mind. “Fuck,” he whispers.

  “We knew this was a long shot,” Zane says, reaching out to squeeze Brooks’ shoulder. “Let’s get busy planning our attack.”

  It’s not what any of us wanted, but it’s what needs to be done. Most of us at this point have more than just our lives to worry about and that is scarier than worrying about yourself. Zane has Harper, Brooks has Maren, Enzo has Nora, even Riley has Gillian. Not to mention everyone’s extended family. For me though, I have Ivy and my baby. That’s double the worry.

  “We should have everyone who could be in danger hide somewhere before we make our move,” I say, lighting a cigarette. We don’t have Gloria’s parents’ house anymore for obvious reasons. Souls is the only place I think they could possibly be safe at this point.

  “Kace is right. Let’s get everyone here tomorrow before we make our move. We can’t take any risks,” Zane says, squeezing his neck.

  Everyone is tense and that’s never good. We need to have a solid plan before we step foot near that dilapidated building of theirs.

  “How the fuck are we going to take them all out? It’s damn near impossible,” Porter says.

  He’s right it is. The fear of the aftermath of attacking first is twisting my gut. There’s so much on the line. The Raging Devils will do anything to make us suffer. I’ve heard awful things about them kidnapping innocents and torturing them before finally killing them. I’ve seen firsthand the missing fingers, hands, and burnt flesh from other MCs that they’ve gone against. When we ran them out last time for drugs they weren’t as ruthless as they are now.

  “We take out Hawk, Bane, Damon, and Casper. They are the ones in control. The rest of the club are a bunch of young kids who do as they’re told. They aren’t smart enough to know what to do without the leadership,” Riley explains.

  “Fuck, I hate to admit it, but Riley’s right. The only way to end this threat is to get rid of the leadership. It’s not gonna be easy. We need a solid plan,” Brooks says keeping his hands fisted on the table.

  “What if we set them up?” Zane asks. I turn my head to him and he lifts his shoulders. “We tell Hawk and Bane we need to talk. They’ll bring Damon and Casper for protection. We kill them as they walk in.”

  We all look around at each other. I play with my lip ring, uncertain of what I think. Enzo sighs as he looks at Brooks. “It’s fucking risky, but it might be the only way.”

  “It’s all fucking risky,” I say.

  Zane nods his head toward me before glancing at Brooks. “Look if we don’t make the first move, we’ll end up dead. It’s worth the risk.”

  “If it doesn’t work, we’re in deeper than we already are,” Brooks comments.

  “That could be true, but if we sit back and wait we look like pussies. Shattered Souls are not pussies,” Alex growls.

  I light another cigarette and look around. “Pick a spot that is secluded but that we know. Brooks, Enzo, and Z will wait while the rest of us are just out of sight. I’ll take the first shot, which will catch them off guard and you three have the opportunity to kill them while they’re stunned,” I suggest.

  Z looks at me and I notice the uncertainty in his eyes, but he nods. “Yeah, lets fucking do it.”

  “Christ get everyone here. No moves will be made until everyone is safe here. Go home, pack up. Come back tonight or tomorrow the latest. Once we have everyone here, I’ll make the goddamn phone call.” He sighs running his hands through his hair. “Go!”

  Uncertain of it all, we walk out. I grab Z’s arm letting everyone walk past us. “I’ll come to your place first.”

  He nods and we all leave. Normally, I have no fear going in on a plan, but this is different. This has us all questioning the outcome and that shit never ends well. I need to talk with Zane about making sure everyone is confident going in. I also need to prepare for Ivy because she’ll be here soon. This is not how I wanted it to be when she came back.

  We walk into Z’s house and he grabs us each a beer. “I texted Harper, she’ll be home from Souls Two soon,” he says, popping the top off the beer.

  “Z, we need to make sure we all go in confident. There’s too much uncertainty,” I say, tossing back the beer.

  He sits down, leaning back in the kitchen chair. “Yeah, I know, brother. Once everyone is safe at Souls, I think we’ll all feel better.”

  I fucking hope he’s right, because I’m not sure I’ll feel much better even with Ivy at Souls. I blow out a breath and nod. “Yeah alright.”

  Zane grins as he finishes off his beer. “Listen, I know you’re unsure because of Ivy, but you can’t let that shit get the best of you. You’re the one who was always kicking my ass to handle everything with Kingsley. You told me not to get into my head. Take your own damn advice. Don’t hide out here. Go home, wait for Ivy, and talk to her. She’s stronger than you give her credit for.”

  “Fuck you, I’m not hiding. I wanted to make sure we were both confident in the plan. I don’t need advice on what to do with Ivy.” I stand up and grin at him. “Thanks for always giving a shit though.”

  When I get home, I try to clean up the best I can. Even clean this place looks like a shit hole. Once this situation is taken care of, I need to focus on making this house livable for a baby. My phone rings and I grab it off the counter, smiling when I see it’s Ivy.

  “Hey sweetheart.”

  “Hey, I’m almost there. Do you want me to stop and grab a pizza? I’m starving,” she says.

  “You just get here safely. I’ll call and order pizza.”

  After we hang up, I order some pizza and make sure that there’s enough water to get her through the night. Tomorrow they can all stock up at Souls. Tonight, I need to talk to Ivy and fucking hope she sees that I will protect her and the baby with my last dying breath.

  When Ivy came walking through the door it was like all the fear, I was feeling lifted. I felt centered and ready for whatever the fuck is thrown at me. Now we are sitting in the living room finishing up the dinner as I try to keep my dick from being in charge. I need to talk to her before I fuck her the way we both need. As much as I don’t want to have this conversation, I need to fucking man up and just do it.

  I turn slightly on the couch so I’m facing her and give her a reassuring grin. I rest my hand on my knees, giving it a gentle squeeze. “We need to talk, sweetheart.”

  Immediately she goes stiff and straightens her back. “Okay,” she whispers.

  “It’s not about us. Nothing has changed with us,” I say, pressing my lips against hers. She relaxes a bit, but still has her guard up. “I know you don’t like the club, but you also know I’ll never walk away. For us to make this work, I think being honest about what’s going on with the club will hopefully stop your questioning and worry.

  She relaxes completely and rests her hand on top of mine. “I think that’s a great idea,” she says, smiling.

  I tell her everything from the deal that didn’t go through to the fight because of Riley to the plan we now have in place. The more I talk the more she backs away from me. Her eyes are now wide, her mouth is slightly parted, and her brown eyes are full of questions and sadness. She rests her hand on her stomach as she listens to me and it gives me the confidence, I need for whatever happens now. My obligation is to keep her and the baby safe and I’ll do whatever the fuck is necessary to do that.

  She stands up and begins pacing in front of me, keeping her eyes focused on the horrible carpet. “So, your life is in danger and you are just hoping this plan of killing them works?”

  I sigh and run my hand through my hair. “You need to trust me,” I say.

  She stops pacing and lifts her head to see me. Her now angry eyes lock on mine and I fist my hands beside me. “This isn’t about trust, Kace. This is about you putting your life in danger to protect everyone but yourself. This is about more death. This is about me having to face my fear head on of losing you before I even fucking have you,” she says as tears run down her
face.

  I jump up and wrap my arms around her, kissing the top of her head. “You aren’t losing me, and you have me, sweetheart.” I squeeze her a little tighter and sink my fingers into her long brown hair. “Please try to accept the club,” I whisper.

  Her hands are fisted in my shirt as she quietly cries against my chest. “I promise I’ll try,” she says as her voice cracks.

  “I want us to work on this, become a family, but that means taking the good and bad with the club because they are my family,” I say, rubbing her back.

  She pulls back slightly so she can search my eyes. I have no idea what the fuck she’s looking for, but I’ll give her whatever it is. “It scares me, Kace. I’m not going to lie. I’m having a hard time knowing you are capable of killing someone. If they don’t kill you, you could end up in jail for murder. Do you understand that? That we are having a baby and he needs both of his parents here. I came back to make sure that’s what he gets and it’s fucking scary thinking I will have to tell him the few stories I have of his father,” she says, full on crying now.

  “Sweetheart, I told you to trust me. I’m not a stupid man. I would never step into anything unless I was a hundred percent sure it was the right thing. With the Raging Devils if we don’t kill them first, they will kill all of us. This is about protecting ourselves and everyone we love. It’s about keeping our neighborhood safe and drug free.” I move my hand down to rest on her stomach. “I will do anything I need to do to make sure the world is a safe place for him. Everything the club and I do is for a better future for all of us.”

  She nods her head and pulls away from me, wiping her eyes. “Can we sleep here, or do we have to go to Souls tonight?”

  “We’re staying here tonight. Tomorrow we will pack and head to Souls,” I reply.

  She shakes her head as she walks past me. “I’m exhausted and I’m already packed so I’m gonna get some sleep,” she whispers.