One Last Chance (Complete Series Box Set)

by Lauren Wood

  Frank

  Gemma had been off work for a while and she still hadn’t showed up. The party, or whatever it was going on around us was an impromptu get together that went awry. Everyone brought someone and then some people just found out about it through the grapevine. It made it all the much easier for the amount of people here.

  I wasn’t worried about the party though. Justin tracked me down and asked if I’d seen Gemma. She was who I was looking for.

  “No, not yet. Have you?”

  “No and there is more of her stuff gone.”

  “She might have seen all of these people and figured that it wasn’t a good time to talk to you.”

  “I guess. Is she still staying at the cabin?”

  “I think so.”

  “I’m going to go up there and talk to her. Will you watch this?” He motioned to the room where everyone was half-drunk or high.”

  “Yeah. I got this.”

  I didn’t want him to go. I was already thinking about going up to the cabin to see if I could find her. There was no way I wanted him to go there himself. What if they made up and Gemma gave in? I couldn’t even think of that without a rage flooding over me that was as strong as it was irrational.

  Watching him go, I waited until I heard his bike start up before I called Gemma. I wanted to warn her that he was going to be popping up, as well as get a read on her and where she was at. I didn’t like this at all.

  She never answered, and I wasn’t able to ease my mind. I really wouldn’t have minded that. It wasn’t pleasant feeling this way, wondering what the hell was going on.

  Destiny came up to me as I tried for the second time to call Gemma.

  “Do you want to dance?”

  I pushed her hand away from my arm as nicely as I could. This chick was getting on my nerves and she wouldn’t keep her hands off of me.

  “I told you Destiny, I have someone.”

  “Then why are you all here alone? You shouldn’t be here by yourself. If you were mine, I wouldn’t let you go to a party like this by yourself.”

  I had to shrugged out of her grip again. “Go find someone else to entertain. I’m not going to be nice about it next time. You’re here because I allow you to be here. Another girl will take your place with the club in a heartbeat.”

  Her face crumbled, and I almost felt bad about it. If I hadn’t tried so many times unsuccessfully before in a nicer way, I would have. But she wasn’t getting the hint, so I was going to have to be a little more forward about it.

  “Fine, sorry. I didn’t realize you were being for real. No one else here cares if they got another old lady or not.”

  “Well I do. My old lady is a bit crazy and seeing you touching me would set her off.”

  That got her moving a little quicker and I chuckled to myself as she left. I should have led with that earlier when she was getting grabby outside. Her job was to make the club men feel like kings, but I wasn’t lying about Gemma. I’d seen her go off before when a woman put their hands on me. It hadn’t been pretty and that’s why it was so strange that she wasn’t down Justin’s throat about Sandra.

  I called her again and still got no answer. I couldn’t wait anymore, and I left Racen to take care of things while I was gone.

  “Start clearing them out slowly. We got a big day tomorrow and I need people to fuck and get some sleep.”

  Racen agreed and I left knowing that the man would get the job done. He was good to go for anything and clearing a house out wasn’t a tall order for him.

  I left the party and went towards the cabin. Something was unsettled in me and I knew that it wasn’t right. I didn’t know what I was expecting to find when I got there, but when I pulled up, it was just Justin on the steps. He was reading something, and he looked upset.

  The engine stopped, and he looked up at me.

  “What’s going on, brother?”

  His eyes were glassy, and it was uncomfortable to see another man cry. I averted my gaze when I walked up and noticed that the note was hanging in his hand. Had Gemma left him a Dear John letter?

  “Brother, huh? You knew that she was going to leave me.”

  “What are you talking about? What does the letter say?”

  “It’s not for me. It’s to you.”

  That made me a little uncomfortable. It made sense that she would leave it for me, but now I really wanted to know what it said.

  “She isn’t here?”

  “No, she’s not?.You want to tell me what is going on between you and my old lady? She’s about to be my fiancée and you fucked her?”

  He was standing up and I wasn’t moving. It was something that had to happen, no matter how ugly it became. There was nothing that I could do to avoid this, but I didn’t want to ruin ties with my VP. He was the only one for the job. Club came first.

  “She found out about Sandra and came onto me. It was going to happen. She was mad at you and I was there.”

  “Doesn’t sound like it was just one time.”

  I didn’t have an answer for that. It had been more than once, and I knew that he wasn’t going to get it. We were meant to be together. Him being with Gemma was a fluke.

  “You cheated on her with my sister Justin. Did you forget that part?”

  He stopped, but he was still angry. I waited for the impact and before I could get another word out, he hit me across the face. Thing was, I wasn’t going to let that go more than once. He had one shot. I deserved it, but that was it.

  “You get one freebie my friend. That’s it.”

  He went to draw back and hit me again and I punched him in the throat. It was the only way to stop him from getting in a full brawl with me. It was hard, but it had to be done.

  While he gagged, I tried to explain.

  “It happened bro, sorry. She was going to leave you anyways. You can’t cheat on Gemma. You know how she is. This wasn’t me Justin and you know it. You fucked up.”

  He was gasping for air, but I knew that he was going to be fine. It was just going to take a minute. I pushed past him because I wanted to see the note that was dropped on the porch and where Gemma was sleeping. I don’t know why, but I knew what I was going to find when I got there. Everything that she had left behind was gone. Gemma was gone and by the looks of it, she wasn’t coming back. The note told me more and I groaned out loud. What the hell?

  “Frank, I knew that us getting back together was a mistake. I wanted to forget who you are for a while and it worked, but not for long. I was reminded tonight when I saw some blonde skank all over you. You and Justin are just alike and not worth my time. I hope our paths never cross again.”

  It wasn’t signed, but there was no doubt in my mind who the author was. Fuck!

  Justin was coming back in and I warned him that I would fuck him up if he started again.

  “No, I don’t want to fight. You lost her too. That’s worse than anything that I could do to you.”

  His words cut me like a knife. I’d lost her again. Now I was the one that wanted to punch him. I knew that I wouldn’t, shouldn’t, but I sure the hell wanted to. He’d reminded me of something that I didn’t want to know. How the hell had I done it again? I thought of the little skank she was thinking of. I should have shooed her off sooner. Gemma must have showed up and no one saw her. I hadn’t, but it was clear that she’d seen me.

  Justin and I just looked at each other. Neither one of us having anything to say really. We both knew that we’d messed up this time. I’d told myself that I wasn’t going to do it again, but I had failed miserably on that front.

  “Fuck!”

  Justin just looked at me and I could tell that he was feeling it too. Gemma was a woman that was hard to replace. I’d been trying for years without any success. I’d given up for that reason all together. I knew there was no point.

  “Yeah, I feel you brother.”

  Well at least Justin didn’t want to hit me again. I almost welcomed it so that I could hit him back, but it was just a
s well I supposed. He was my VP after all.

  “So now what?”

  I shrugged because I really didn’t know what to say. She was gone, and I didn’t know where. I could try her parents, but I doubted that she was there.

  “I don’t know Justin. I guess we get back to the party and make sure that the chicks cleaned up. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow and we need to get some sleep.”

  He’d been talking about Gemma, but I really couldn’t bare to think about it. I just knew for certain that nothing I did was going to matter. Gemma was out of range and I was going to have to figure out a way to get through to her, to explain that I hadn’t wanted Destiny on me. She knew how these girls were with the club. She had to know.

  I got on my bike and started the engine, waiting for Justin to get on his. The cabin was empty, and it saddened me. I didn’t know what to do now. I’d lost the only woman I’d ever loved, again and I still didn’t know what to do. I hadn’t back then either. I’d realized quickly my mistake, but it had just been too late.

  Riding back into town, I didn’t notice how fast I was going. I didn’t notice the cop sitting off on the side of the road. I cursed when I saw the red lights. If this was Matt, I swear that I was going to unleash all the anger that I had inside of me. I’d had enough, and he was about to get the brunt of it if he fucked with me.

  Gemma

  I couldn’t go back to the cabin for long, so I wrote the note, grabbed my stuff up and went on the road. I thought about going to my parents, but it just wasn’t what I wanted to do. I had left young for a reason and I wanted to get out of there. It was all I could think about and when I saw the sign saying that I was leaving Hartford, I felt a smile on my face. I should have done this a while ago. I had an aunt that stayed in the next state over and I was going to go visit her. She was my favorite aunt, and no one would think to look for me there. If they did, she’d lie for me.

  Frank called several times and I just ignored it. I turned off my phone for a while and when I turned it back on, I had several new messages. I didn’t know who they were from and I didn’t care. I didn’t listen to them. I just couldn’t because I didn’t want to let it get to me. I didn’t want to hear any more lies of love and affection from either one of them.

  It wasn’t a good plan of course. I only had a couple hundred in cash from the night’s tips, though I did have a debit card. I didn’t have much in the way of clothes, but I had enough for now. I would worry about the rest of it later.

  The drive was long, and it gave me time to think about everything. I’d gotten to this point where I knew that this was going to have to work itself out somehow.

  When I got to Carol’s, I was relieved to get off the road. I hadn’t called my boss yet. I figured I would call her tomorrow and see if I could take a week or two off. I had to go back to Hartford of course. It was my home and now that I still had my things still at Justin’s, I was going to have to go back for that as well.

  I enjoyed my time with Carol and spent the time rejuvenating. The future was so uncertain, but I was ready to get back to face reality. I had to confront Justin, get my things and find a place to live that wasn’t with my parents. I wasn’t even thinking about Frank. I had him stuck in a little compartment at the far back of my head, hoping that I would be able to figure it out later. Maybe I wouldn’t have to. He wouldn’t be here long. I know that he was setting up a chapter here, but that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t leave it with Justin later and go back to Texas. This was my hope anyways.

  Going back home was foreign. It didn’t feel like home anymore for some reason. I’d enjoyed my time away and maybe it was a little too much. My whole life had been spent in this tiny town. Maybe it was time for a change.

  The first place I went to was work. I had a shift that I had to take care of and while I was there, I planned to get with Justin so that I could get my things. He answered after one ring and I was a little shocked out of words. I’d hoped for a message or something, then I could have him leave a message and I would get back to him. I still wasn’t looking forward to seeing him.

  “Hey Gemma. I’ve been trying to call you for two weeks.”

  “Yeah sorry. I just turned my phone off for a while. I needed time to think.”

  “About us?”

  “About everything. I need to come get my things tonight. Are you going to be around?”

  “You don’t have to do this. I don’t want you to leave.”

  “I won’t be cheated on.”

  “What about you and Frank? I went up to the cabin and found the note.”

  That was another surprise.

  “He told me that you knew about Sandra. I wanted to tell you, but you wouldn’t see me at the bar.”

  “Of course, he told you. You guys are all alike. I don’t want to talk about this Justin. I just need my clothes and I will leave you be.”

  “That’s not what I want.”

  I closed my eyes and tried to collect myself.

  “It’s what is happening. So, can I come by tonight and get them or are you having another rager?”

  “No, I don’t think the club is going to happen here. There’s just been too much going on since you’ve been gone. Most have already gone back to Texas.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that Frank got arrested with the shipment and he’s about to be sent to county after his court date tomorrow. The bail won’t be met.”

  I never knew all the details, but I could only imagine that the shipment wasn’t going to be a good one. The club wasn’t into legal activities and I didn’t know what to say.

  “Oh. No one can come up with bail?”

  “No one wants to sign the agreement because we all know he’s going to take off. There’s no way that he’s going to jail here, so it will come back on the signature.”

  I couldn’t believe that. Out of all those people, no one would step forward? I thought that at least Justin would, considering, though now knowing that he knew about us, I could see where a riff may have been made. I didn’t blame it either of course.

  “What about all the guys from Texas?”

  “They can’t because they’re out of state.”

  “And you won’t because?”

  “I could lose the house. It’s been in my family a long time. I can’t.”

  I was speechless, and I felt bad for Frank. Maybe he should have stayed away. It didn’t seem to be working out with him here. It was too much going on and I wasn’t sure where it was all going to land.

  “Okay well, I need my things. I don’t have much, so I can be in and out in a few minutes. Are you going to be home?”

  He said that he was going to be, and I got off of the phone with him pretty quickly because I knew that he wanted to get into it all. I was hoping that he would see that it was better to leave it mainly unsaid and to move on. It’s what needed to happen at the moment and I wasn’t going to argue. I just wanted to move on. I’d been thinking about what was next and now I really wasn’t sure. I felt bad for Frank. I wanted to go see him, even though I knew that it would be a problem. He was the one that was going to break me, but the idea of just leaving him there was not something that I wanted to do. I had to go see him at the very least.

  After work, I went to Justin’s and it was about how I thought it would be. He was emotional, wanted to hash it all out, explain everything and I wanted to move on. Maybe he was right, and I didn’t care enough, I don’t know, but I was passed the stage of being upset. I had been at first, even if I tried to drown it all, but now I knew that it was for the best.

  The next stop was the jail. If Matt wouldn’t have been there, I wouldn’t have been able to see him. It wasn’t near visiting hours, but I wanted to see if I could find out what was going on. Matt wasn’t happy to see me, asking me where I’d been.

  “I went to stay at a family member’s house for a while. I just got back into town.”

  “And you’re here?”

  �
��Yeah, I hear you have one of my friends in here again.”

  “Not just a little ticket that you can get him out of this time. He was found with a lot of guns. Guns Gemma.”

  I shook my head. “Yeah, I heard.”

  “And you’re okay with that?”

  “It is what it is. So, what’s going on with his bail?”

  “Money is there, just no one will sign for him. That should tell you something. His own mother won’t.”

  I smiled and chuckled a little. “Yeah, I bet she’s mad at him for getting caught.”

  Matt just shook his head. He had to know the family, to know them. His mom was something else and she would be upset that he’d been stupid enough to get caught, far more than the possession of a few assault rifles.

  “That should tell you all that you need to know right there.”

  “Well who do I got to go to for the bond? Is it Easman?”

  He agreed and asked me why I wanted to know. “Don’t do it Gemma, he will destroy your life. If they find out that you know where he is or try to hide him, they will take you to jail too. Do you really want to go to jail for a piece of shit like Frank?”

  I didn’t think of him that way, but I didn’t say a word otherwise. I was just going to have to let it play out and Matt could think what he wanted.

  “That may be Matt, but I need that information and to see Frank.”

  He just shook his head at me. “You know, I’m the one that should be threatening to call Anna. There is no way that she would let you do this without giving you shit for it.”

  “Yea? I know. But let’s not do it, okay?” She was the last voice of reason that I needed to hear right now. It was hard enough to worry about everything else, but I knew that something was going to come up later about it, most likely when he jumped bail and went back to Texas.