“What pain?”
“Losing a girl, man,” Seth said.
“I didn’t lose anyone,” Lucas said. “We’re all right here. Come on, Seth…”
“You don’t get it,” Seth yelled. He looked at Lucas. Tears were in his eyes.
“Fuck, man, what’s wrong?”
“He wanted me to kill her.”
“Kill who?”
Seth’s lips trembled. “Leah.”
Lucas swore his heart paused for a second. “What?”
“He wanted me to kill her,” Seth said. “He wanted to get rid of her so you would focus on Debbie. She’s human, man, and you’re falling for her. Club problem, right?”
“Vince wanted you to kill Leah?”
Seth nodded. “I couldn’t do it. I was there though. I was fucking ready to do it. I sat in a car. I waited for her to leave her apartment… she left… I froze…”
Lucas stood up and made fists.
That was the feeling Leah had. The feeling of being watched. Lucas thought it was someone from a rival crew, but it turned out it was his own fucking crew. Full Moon Mercy trying to solve a problem.
“Fuck,” Lucas whispered.
“I’m sorry, man,” Seth said. “You can shoot me if you want. I don’t care. I’m not meant for this shit then.”
“You stalked her?” Lucas asked.
“Vince wanted me…”
Lucas clamped a hand down on the back of Seth’s neck. He lifted him to his feet with Seth crying out. He threw Seth against the wall and put a hand to his throat.
“You were going to put a bullet in Leah’s head?” Lucas growled.
“I didn’t, man,” Seth whispered. Tears fell from his eyes. “I didn’t. I let her go. I told Vince I couldn’t do it.”
“And he let you live?” Lucas asked.
“He gets it,” Seth said. “A bad decision…”
Lucas pressed harder on Seth’s throat. Seth cried harder.
“A bad decision,” Lucas said. “He wanted to kill Leah. For no good reason at all. Because I’m in love with her and it’s inconvenient to him.”
Lucas saw the fear in Seth’s eyes. If Lucas killed Seth right now his death would be on his hands forever. Was there cause to kill Seth? Yes. But without bringing it to the rest of the club first, it would be a sign of disrespect. It would be as disrespectful as Vince trying to get Seth to kill Leah. It was all going to be done behind everyone’s back.
“What did you think Vince was going to do with you when you did it?” Lucas asked.
“I don’t know,” Seth said. “I thought it was helping the club. I thought it would put me closer to him.”
“Nobody is close to Vince,” Lucas said. “Except Mandy. Did she know?”
“I don’t know,” Seth said. “He approached me alone.”
Lucas pushed away from Seth. “Shit.”
Seth grabbed his throat and began to cough. Lucas looked to the bodies on the ground.
“We need to get out of here now,” Lucas said.
“What are you going to do?” Seth asked. “Are you going to tell Vince? Oh, shit, are you going to kill him? Lucas…”
“Why don’t you let those questions circle around your mind for a little while?” Lucas asked. “You want to do right by Full Moon Mercy? Then you take things to other members, man. You know who I am, right?”
“Lucas, I know. That’s why…”
“Then you know what to do,” Lucas said. “Now, I’ll say it for the last time. Get the hell out of this apartment right now. I’ll call in a murder-suicide and let the Chief clean this up.”
“How can I face Vince now?” Seth asked.
“Not my problem.”
Lucas rushed out of the building and grabbed his cell to place the call. He then got on his motorcycle and sped away from the apartment building. His mind raced and the freedom of the road wasn’t going to calm him this time. Vince wanted Leah dead. Having Seth do it seemed like a really sloppy move, unless Vince had another motive. That motive could have been what just occurred. Lucas was away from the club and Leah was there.
As Lucas sped up to the club he saw a line of motorcycles. One of them was Vince’s. Of course Vince would be here right now. It didn’t make sense that Vince would try and kill Leah in the club, but if Vince was that messed up…
Lucas ran from his motorcycle to the club. He took the steps three at a time. He tore open the door and looked around the busy club. Guys at the bar. Guys shooting pool. The music. The laughter. Then he caught sight of Cooper and Vince, next to each other, sipping beers. For a second, Lucas wondered if Cooper knew something. But that couldn’t be. Cooper would never do that to Lucas. Never.
Calming himself to prevent anyone from picking up on his anger, Lucas approached the bar with care. He leaned next to Vince and put his hand out. A moment later, an ice cold beer was in his hand.
“Seth okay?” Vince asked.
Lucas looked into Vince’s beady eyes and swallowed down his urge to attack him.
“No,” Lucas said. “The girl he was fooling around with was murdered.”
“No shit,” Cooper said.
“Boyfriend trouble. Pretend bikers. I took care of it.”
“Took care of it?” Vince asked.
“Murder-suicide,” Lucas said. “Be ready though. Seth is a like a blob right now. That must have been some sweet tasting woman.”
Vince laughed. Cooper drank. Lucas nodded and walked away. When he was out of sight, Lucas moved faster. He opened the door to his room and found Leah sitting on the edge of the bed, her hands folded, staring at the floor. A wave of relief came over him. He went to her and lifted her up, wrapping his arms around her.
“Oh, baby, I’m right here,” Lucas said. “I’m right here.”
Leah hugged him back, but it wasn’t with the passion he had come to expect from her. He backed away and took Leah’s face into his hands.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
Leah looked at Lucas. “I’m in love with you, Lucas.”
The words touched Lucas’s heart, leaving him with a breathless feeling for a few seconds.
“I have to tell you that,” Leah said. “The feelings are just… intense. This isn’t about sex for me. This isn’t about power. This is about… my heart.”
Leah took one of Lucas’s hands and placed it to her chest.
“Leah, this is more for me too,” Lucas said. “Much more.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Where did this come from?”
“I spoke with Mandy today. She made me feel… whatever. I checked on Debbie. I smacked her in the face.”
Lucas laughed. “What?”
“I couldn’t stand her comments so I smacked her. I feel like I’m in the middle of a storm that I can’t see. Everyone looks at me all the time.”
“They’re protecting you,” Lucas said.
“I know that. But from what? What did I do? How can I stop it?”
“It’s part of trusting me,” Lucas said. “Once Debbie is moved, things will settle. I’ll make sure the Reckingdune never try to bother us again.”
“That’s who was watching me? Wanting to hurt me? The same man that chased us?”
Lucas couldn’t lie to Leah, but he couldn’t tell her the truth. “You have to just ride with me, love. That’s all I can tell you.”
“I’m right here,” Leah said. “I’m in love with you.”
Leah slid her arms around Lucas’s body. She wasn’t strong, but that didn’t mean Leah was weak either. The feel of her body against Lucas’s made him want to be weak. Never before had he wanted to experience being vulnerable to another woman in his life.
Maybe it was her beauty. Maybe it was because Leah said she loved him. Or maybe it was because Lucas had come so damn close to losing Leah. And it had happened without any warning or sign. If it wasn’t for Seth being weak…
Lucas squeezed Leah as a knock came at the door.
“Do
n’t move,” Lucas whispered.
He broke away from Leah and opened the door to find Vince standing with his hands at his hips. “Lucas.” His eyes looked to Leah. “Sorry. Didn’t realize…”
“What do you need?” Lucas asked.
“I wanted to get your thoughts on Seth,” Vince said. “And then approach you with something.”
Lucas looked back at Leah. “Well, I have Leah here. She’s not leaving.”
“That’s okay,” Vince said. He put his hand to the doorway, a little signal to Lucas that he wasn’t going to just leave. “She’s been around now. She’s seen enough. I’m okay talking in front of her. That is, if you are.”
Lucas swallowed. Of course Vince was okay with Leah hearing things. That’s because when Leah was dead, she wouldn’t be able to talk.
“I have nothing to hide,” Lucas said.
Vince stepped into the room. Lucas left the door halfway open.
“What’s wrong with Seth?” Lucas asked.
“I don’t know,” Vince said. “He seems… a little off. He’s jumpy. He let that woman get to his mind. Mess things up.”
“Women do that sometimes,” Lucas said. “You know that. It’s an urge thing. The hunger mixes with other feelings.”
“Look where it took us,” Vince said. “Murder-suicide?”
“It’ll be fine,” Lucas said. “What else are you worried about?”
“Eh, I don’t know,” Vince said. “I just get that feeling, you know? That feeling like something’s off.”
“Yeah, I get that feeling,” Lucas said. He balled his hands into fists. “You think something else is wrong around here?”
“A lot of heat around the club lately,” Vince said. He leaned against the wall. His eyes went to Leah, back to Lucas. “A lot of changes happening.”
“I don’t think the Reckingdune are happy with you,” Lucas said. “They want land.”
“They won’t get a thing from us,” Vince said. “I have the blackmail. I have the gun.”
Lucas nodded. Of course Vince had himself covered. It was about survival, all the time. Lucas always thought it was the survival of the club. Now it felt more like the survival of Vince.
“We need to just get Debbie to safety,” Lucas said. “With all the help we can get. Like we talked about.”
“Of course,” Vince said. “It’s important to keep those we care about protected.”
“Everyone will be protected,” Lucas said. “You don’t have to worry about Leah.”
“I am,” Vince said. “And Debbie. It’s on my mind. I can’t help it, Lucas. I care.”
“You care,” Lucas whispered.
Lucas turned his head and calmed himself. He couldn’t expose Seth, or Vince, not right now. Not with so much happening around Full Moon Mercy.
“I can help,” Vince said. “And with the club… there’s protection.”
“What are you talking about, Vince?”
Vince leaned toward Lucas. “I’m talking about claiming you, son.”
There was that word - son.
It made Lucas cringe, but he understood it. He was the closest thing Vince had to a son. And in the same right, Vince was the closest thing to a father Lucas ever had. The bond was there, but for Lucas it was simply through Full Moon Mercy.
“I love you, Lucas,” Vince said. “You know that. What you have going on right now is a mess, but it’s something beautiful. There’s life coming to this club now. There’s your blood coming. You’re giving something I’ve never been able to give. Something I’ll never be able to do.”
“Vince…”
“No,” Vince said. “I want you both to hear this.”
Vince pushed from the wall and stepped closer to Leah. He made sure he was between Lucas and Leah.
“I can step away,” Leah offered.
Vince put his hand out. “No.” Vince rubbed his chin. “I’ve never been able to give Mandy the chance to be a mother. I’ve never been a father myself. Lucas, you’re like a son to me. If I claim you, then your unborn child becomes part of me, too.”
“Is that what you want?” Lucas asked. “You want to have a connection with the baby?”
“It’s more than that,” Vince said. “It’s about this club. The life that runs through the ranks then. If I claim you, Lucas, you’re protected and so is that child.” Vince looked at Leah. “And so are you.”
“I haven’t claimed her,” Lucas said. “The time…”
“It’s something to think about,” Vince said. “If we’re all together in this, then we should be family. We’re close like family now, but it could be more.”
“Family is a steep burden,” Lucas said. “That means a lot of trust. A lot of care.”
“It does,” Vince said. He put a hand to Lucas’s shoulder. “And trust comes in different ways, son. We have an important mission upon us. I’m just trying to make sure we all come back here safe and in one piece.”
Lucas looked into Vince’s eyes. Those weren’t words of care or peace. They were words of threat. Attacking Vince wasn’t going to be a viable option right now. It left Lucas no choice but to swallow his anger and his pride. He put a hand out for Vince to shake.
Vince took his hand and pulled Lucas close. They embraced.
“I’m just trying to help, son,” Vince whispered. “She’s human. They both are human.”
“You know, Leah had the feeling the other night that someone was watching her,” Lucas whispered. “That she was going to get killed.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“So am I,” Lucas said.
Lucas pushed off of Vince and moved back to Leah. He put his arm around her and looked at Vince.
“I’m sorry to bother you. Just wanted to speak my piece. I hope you’ll think about what I said, Lucas. We have a business meeting soon. I need everyone at the conference table. We can’t wait much longer with Debbie.”
Vince showed himself to the door and Lucas turned and hugged Leah.
He now felt vulnerable… and he didn’t like it.
20
Vince sat at the head of the empty table, staring aimlessly across the room. Everything would fall into place. That’s just how it was meant to be. No matter how Lucas felt, Leah was only a human. Her capabilities meant nothing to the club. Even Debbie, once the baby was born, would be reduced to nothing but a human. Humans were disposable. Simple as that.
The conference door opened and Cooper stuck his head in.
“Vince, the Chief is here.”
Vince stood and walked to the door. He saw Chief Charlie standing near the door to the upstairs club. He had a hand on his gun and his eyes were looking around. There were probably more than a few illegal activities happening right in the open, but that’s not why the Chief was here today.
Stopping at the bar, Vince got two beers and went to a table. He put the beers down and pointed.
“Join me, Chief,” Vince said and smiled.
“How about we stick to Charlie while I’m here?”
“I think we can manage that.” Vince took a seat. He pushed one of the beer bottles near the end of the table. “Beer?”
“Not on the job,” Charlie said.
“I’ll take it then,” Cooper said.
He grabbed the bottle and then grabbed a chair. He spun it around and straddled the chair. He would be Vince’s right hand for this conversation. Everything needed to be in perfect order.
“So where are we at?” Vince asked.
“Getting a group of guys like you requested wasn’t easy to do,” Charlie said. “Kind of looks strange to have the station full, you know?”
“I’m sure you covered it up,” Vince said.
“Yeah, I did. Too many gang bang murders going on around here. Christ, I just had to tend to a murder-suicide. Some big biker guy blew the head off his old lady and then shot himself.”
“Terrible,” Vince said. “Just terrible.”
“Yeah,” Charlie said.
“So how do we pull this off?” Cooper asked. “I’ve got the truck ready.”
“I know,” Charlie said. “I already talked to my friend at the junkyard.”
“It’s important for all of Mercy,” Vince said. “We already did our part and spoke with the Oreno crew. They are okay with our travel plans. Now we just need the fee to get through.”
“The fee is waiting,” Charlie said. “The cells are full. I have two of my guys interviewing each one, making it seem like I give a shit that they’re there. I just need to know when you’re coming to get them.”
“What’s the story?” Cooper asked.
“Transporting,” Vince said. “We do it tonight. Midnight or later. Clean out the cells and then in the morning, Chief, you tell everyone that the state got involved and demanded transportation.”
“Then it’s all on my back for all these missing prisoners,” Charlie said.
“Who’s going to miss them?” Vince asked and smiled.
“Okay,” Charlie said. “I’ll draw some paperwork and sign off on it all. Whatever you need. Can I ask how this is going to benefit Mercy?”
“You can ask,” Vince said.
“But you’re not going to answer me.”
“I didn’t say that.” Vince put his hand on top of Charlie’s hand. “Let’s put it this way… we’re helping to secure a future for the club. And a future for Full Moon Mercy means a future for Mercy. So all your little problems can continue in town without becoming major problems. It’s all about balance, Charlie. Always about balance.”
“Balance,” Charlie said. “Balance.”
“I’ll be there at midnight then,” Cooper said. “With Ian. We’ll load up the truck and drive it away.”
“And what if these criminals decide to fight back?” Charlie asked. “What if they bust through the truck? You want all those guys running through Mercy?”
Vince laughed and drank from his beer. “Do you forget who we are? What we can do?”
“Christ,” Charlie said. “Like we need that kind of bloodshed right in town.”
“There will be no bloodshed in Mercy,” Vince said. “You need to find a way to relax. Maybe you should have a drink and find a woman, Chief.”
Charlie stood and looked at Vince and Cooper. “Make sure this goes smooth.”
The True Beast (A Full Moon Mercy Novel) (shifter / MC romance) Page 15