“Okay.”
My hunger for him returns and knowing he is leaving tomorrow and possibly for a week, I don’t try to squash it.
I lead him inside the house and lock up behind us. Our last night for a while should definitely be spent together. It’s not like I can get enough of him anyway.
Zachery
Our brothers who followed Niall to Willows Peak are finally going home. We ride together to a new property Cas acquired a few weeks ago. A new property he has only just told us about because his illness got in the way. He refused to go in the van with the prospects and he wouldn’t stop more often for breaks. He rode up front and held his own even though it was clear he was struggling at some points.
Pope was pissed he couldn’t come with us. Cas ordered him to stay behind. Apparently, moving into new territories can be dicey and he didn’t want two vulnerable brothers in the firing line if it comes to a fight.
The place isn’t so bad, the wall around the place is high enough to give them more privacy than we have back home. The place needs some work and probably why Cas got it so cheap, but I can see our brothers settling in well here. It’s all red brick and metal doors, I’d like to be around and see how Crows could get through this place if they tried. I don’t see any fire attacks in the future.
“Welcome home, brothers,” Cas hollers and then wheezes for the next five minutes. No one says a word about it and Sparky stands in his place.
“As you all know you’re all closer to the Crows than we are, but as they’re circling around our town, you’ve got some space to settle in and figure your shit out. The last attack on your clubhouse cannot happen again, they had the element of surprise because one of ours held a secret that could and did have a detrimental effect. From now on, anyone, and we mean anyone found to be going with anyone they shouldn’t will ripped of their patches, a woman will not be the downfall of one our chapters again. We will not be made to look fuckin’ weak, unable to protect what’s ours, again. We’re in a fight that could take one of us at any time, we are Lost Souls and we will do what we always have done and have each other’s backs. We will be ready for anything, we won’t be focused on women that have us running around losing our tails and ending up in the fuckin’ ground. Do you all hear me?” he roars, adding, “Let’s fuckin’ party!”
The place erupts and thanks to my earlier smoke, their cheers and hollers aren’t so loud around me. I find a quiet spot outside and plot up away from the party. All I can think of doing is calling Nina. The last time I left town, I didn’t have anything but the club to return to.
I light a smoke and pull out my phone. Her number is the last I called and top of my call list.
She answers on the third ring and I smile at the thought of her holding it waiting for me to call.
“Hey, how are you doing?”
“I’m good. You?”
“I’m good.”
“Good.”
We both laugh, and my shoulders relax. I’m missing her much more than I thought I would and much more than should be normal.
I take a hit on my smoke and she must hear it down the line.
“Are you getting high?”
She never asks if I’m smoking, it’s always if I’m getting high. She doesn’t come out straight and say she doesn’t like it, but I know she does.
“No,” I say, but even to me I sound like I’m lying.
“Are you like, addicted, or something? Do you like it?”
“No, I’m not addicted, but I do enjoy it. It relaxes me.”
“I can help you relax.”
Oh, so that’s how she wants to play? I’m up for this.
“You’re not here,” I say, playing along.
“Missing me?”
“Yes.”
I don’t hesitate to tell her how I’m really feeling now, but I do hold off telling her everything.
“Yeah, I miss having you around too. I’ve kind of got used to you hanging about.”
“Hanging about? You’re harsh,” I chuckle.
“Well, I like you around. It saves me having to adopt a puppy.”
Deep laughter rumbles from my chest, and I catch the attention of a few brothers lingering around out here.
“I’m happy I can be of use.”
“Oh, you’re of real good use to me. In fact, when are you back? I have more use of you.”
Christ. I’d let her use me anytime she god damn wants. She’s making me hard and I’m too far from her to do anything about it.
“As much as I like talking to you, I’m going to have to go, you’re making my life difficult.”
It takes a beat but she catches on and her laughter soothes my soul.
“Maybe I’ll have an early night, think of you while I fall asleep?”
“I like the idea of that.”
I’m not lying.
“Perhaps I’ll think of you in ways that should remain private?” she says, playing with me.
“Perhaps you should hang up now and stop tormenting me.”
I refrain from growling down the line and she laughs, driving me wilder.
“Okay, I’m going. Call me when you can tomorrow.”
“Sure.”
The call ends and I finish my smoke. Hopefully I’ll get so high I’ll numb myself from everything only Nina can help me with.
A striking red head struts towards me and I know I’m not high enough yet to deal with this. I saw her sniffing around Mason earlier and wondered how all the girls got here so fast.
Mason must have declined her attention because as she struts towards me, I can clearly see I’m the one she’s now setting her sights on. Her red dress, nearly as bright as her hair, is so short I’m one inch from finding out what colour panties she’s wearing.
“What are you doing out here? The party is inside,” she says, playfully.
I take in her plump lips and her cleavage rising and falling as she breathes, she continues to speak when I sit here, not saying a word.
“I thought your brother was hot, but then I saw you.”
It’s difficult not to roll my eyes, even without Nina at home waiting for me, I’d roll my eyes at that shit.
She’s here because Mason didn’t want her, and she thinks I don’t know my brother well enough to know how he is. If he wanted her she wouldn’t be out here trying her luck with me.
“I thought you were hot until I remembered how hot my girl is back home,” I throw back at her and she tips her head back and laughs.
“I’m not offering you a relationship. You’re a long way from home, your girl would never have to know.”
“That’s a piss poor attitude to have towards another girl,” I grunt.
“It’s not like I know her and it’s not like she’d find out unless you told her.”
“There won’t be anything to tell her, you can go back inside, I’m sure you’ll find someone else.”
“Last chance,” she sing songs and I cringe.
“Go find someone else, I’m really not interested.”
Pouting, her heels click against the ground as she hurries her step back into the new bar. I sit back against the wall and take another hit.
“You must be serious about the girl back home to send her away.”
Cas scares the shit out of me, coming up from behind, and I kick my legs down so he can sit.
“How are you doing?” he asks, collecting his breath.
“Good,” I say, putting my blunt out so he doesn’t breathe in the smoke. “How are you doing?” I ask in return.
“Shit,” he snorts. “Your dad’s worried about you, how long are you going to keep this up?”
“Keep what up?”
You can’t bullshit Cas and you can’t dwell on shit. He doesn’t see the point and part of me thinks he doesn’t know how to. He’s cut and dry, black and white, right or wrong.
“You can take him for a fool, but not me. Regardless of what you heard him say, you can’t keep crying about it. I’m telling
you it’s time to move on. Fuck. I’m Leo and Luca’s real dad and do you know how many times I’ve wished they weren’t there sometimes because I wanted time alone with Lana, or when they’re pains in my ass? But the one thing your dad and I have in common is that no matter what shit you give us, we’ll still do anything for you because you’re our sons, blood or not.”
This is all I’ve heard over the last couple of years from brothers, your dad loves you.
“Don’t forget, your mom didn’t come to town looking for a lost love, she wasn’t interested in Billy like that, I reckon she still would have fallen for Slade and he still would have been in your life and treated you no different to how he has done all these years. I don’t think you heard the full conversation between him and me back then, if you did, you would’ve heard him berate himself for what he said.”
I hate that he’s right, but I’ll never fucking tell him so.
“Billy might have died a long fuckin’ time ago but he’s always around, your mom hasn’t forgotten, Slade never did and nor did my Lana. Everyone who was there that day has never forgotten what he went through, it weighs more on some of us than others, but he’s always there. What I’m trying to say is, whether he lived or died, you would’ve known Slade and he would’ve loved you like he does today. So, give him a fuckin’ break because I don’t want my brothers and the boys I’ve known all their lives falling out over something stupid. And this is fuckin’ stupid.”
He stands and makes his way inside and I refrain from offering to help him, he’s already threatened to shoot the next brother who does and I don’t feel like getting shot again, it hurt enough the first time.
Nina
Zachery doesn’t tell me anything about being away, but India reckons they’ll all be back in town at some point today so I’ve been to the store and I’ve stocked up on a few days’ worth of food so I can kidnap him and hold him prisoner at mine.
I laugh to myself in the car as I think through what I just thought and shake my head at just how far I’ve fallen for him.
My joy is short lived when I swing the car onto my drive and Vincent is sitting on my porch, waiting for me.
What the hell is he doing here? For all the bravado I have shown Zachery, there was still a little voice in the back of my mind whispering doubts and it was my ego that I’ve built up over the years that shut it up and pushed it away.
It’s not fear I feel seeing him there as if we’re friends, I’m angry and I push my foot down on the brake, hard.
The jolt does nothing but spur my anger higher and I forget about my shopping in the back of the car.
“What are you doing here?” I yell across the lawn.
He stands and comes down the steps, but I don’t feel threatened by him. I’m angered by him.
“I need to tell you about your biker.”
His voice is smooth and sounds too young for how old he looks, it’s creepy.
“Stop,” I scream, moving closer to him. “Let me tell you about him, he’s going to kick your ass when I tell him you’ve been here. He’s going to annihilate you, and I’m going to watch him to do it.”
He blanches, and it soothes me in such a way, I need to consume more.
“You’re not running me out of town this time, I’m going nowhere, and you’re not going to scare me again.”
“Scare you?” he gasps, taking me aback. “Scaring you has never been my intention. I know…”
“You know nothing, not about Zach, not about me, not about anything.”
“Come on, Florentina, stop being so dramatic, the neighbours will start to think something is wrong.”
I recoil at him using my full name, but I hope the neighbours do come out, to see his face and know he’s not supposed to be hanging around here.
“Who do you think I am to you? Huh?” I scream. “I don’t love you, I don’t like you, I don’t fucking know you,” I roar, flying towards him.
I shove him, the hardest I can push, and it feels so freaking good to watch him fall back on his ass.
Hovering over him, I point my finger and lay into him some more.
“Even if I did know you, I wouldn’t want you, look at you, you aren’t what I go for. I like my men bigger, better, less fucking creepy. Stop coming around here you weirdo. Stop looking through my windows.” The rant keeps flowing from me and I step back. “Stay away from me!”
My screams are so loud Mrs Peterson comes out with her phone in her hand.
“Nina? Do you need me to call the police?” she calls out and Vincent is already backing off.
“You don’t love me, and you won’t come around here again, will you?” I say, looking back at Vincent.
“Will you?” I scream at him.
“No!” he yells.
He backs off so far, he can climb to his feet without me being so close to him and then he scuttles off to his car.
“Good riddance,” Mrs Peterson calls over and goes back inside her house.
I stay on the lawn, where my mom and me stood all those years ago looking for him and watch him leave this time.
His car peels off up the street and I remain where I am. I can’t believe that just happened. He was here, at my house, waiting for me. He watches me so he’d know Zach wasn’t around.
My hands start to shake, and then my body is trembling. I stood up to him, I didn’t run away, I faced him and he’s the one who ended up on his ass, not me. I overpowered him and there wasn’t anything he could do.
I’ve never quite felt anything like it, especially as he was the one why I had to go. He was the one to run on this day, not me.
However, as brave and pumped as I’m feeling, I climb back in my car and drive to the club.
It’s hit or miss whether the gates are open or not and today they are closed. Sighing, I remember the last time they were closed when I arrived, the guy acted like a prick to me.
I pull up and take my chances, lowering my window, the same guy as before walks over and scopes out who else is in my car.
He steps back when he sees I’m alone and nods to another guy behind him. The gates open and before I can drive through, he puts his hand on top of the car and stops me.
“He’s not back yet, but I know he’ll want you here when he comes home. You can wait in the bar, don’t go anywhere else.”
After being given my order, he steps away, and I drive in and park in the same spot I always do here.
With the air con off, the car becomes stifling, but I don’t move. I rest my head against the back of the seat and close my eyes. This is one place he can’t get to me and I relax.
PAST
“This is one place he can’t get to you, my sweet Florentina,” my mom tells me, and I relax. “Come on, help me with the bags and I’ll cook us a nice dinner while you finish your applications.”
She hasn’t let up on colleges since I told her I wanted to attend one close to home, yet, she still has me applying to many all over the country. I personally think she wants to boast how many I’ve been accepted at to everyone at church.
“Sure, mom.”
We carry the shopping inside and dump it all in the kitchen.
“Go on, go finish your work and I’ll start dinner.”
She never lets me unpack the groceries anyway, everything has a place in her kitchen and only she knows their rightful place. She only likes me to help her carrying the lot in, I think she enjoys it in her own odd way.
I pass my pile of clean laundry in the hall and pick it up. Mom always leaves it there for me to take to my room. Opening the door, I dump the clothes on my dresser and scream out when a hooded man is sat, quite comfortably, at my desk.
“I was starting to get worried,” he says, dropping one of my photographs onto the floor as he stands. “You were gone for so long, I was just debating whether to call the sheriff.”
“You…you…you shouldn’t be here…How did you get in here?”
The rapid thrumming of my heart is drowning out the rush
of my blood in my ears and my legs grow cold and numb.
“Florentina?” Mom calls and Vincent slithers towards me.
Dizziness overwhelms me as his arm winds around me and his hand covers my mouth.
“Let’s go and see her so you can explain I’m going to be regularly coming around here now we’re together.”
I nod against him and this placates him. He drops his hand and takes hold of mine. His grip is firm, and his skin is cool and smooth.
“Mom?”
“What was the shrieking for?” she asks, packing the last of the shopping away.
“Mom, please.”
The plea in my voice is clearly heard and she pales when she spins around and sees we have an unwanted guest.
“Is this-” she whispers, “-Vincent?”
“Hello, Mrs Rollins. It’s nice to finally meet you, Nina has told me so much about you.”
Like hell I have. I don’t know anything about him. He keeps hold of my hand and his warmth is what I imagine Hell to feel like. Stifling and deadly
“No,” she murmurs, shaking her head. “How did you get in my house?”
Fear is weaving its way around my mother and now I’m truly scared.
“Nina invited me in, of course,” he says trying to charm her but it isn’t working on her.
“He was waiting in my room, momma,” I sob, feeling guilty that she should know the truth.
“Vincent?” He looks at her and grins at her. “I was about to make dinner; would you like to join us?”
“That’s very gracious of you, Mrs Rollins. I would love to, Nina has told me how much of a fantastic cook you are.”
Her smile is tight and forced and I’m surprised she is playing along like this.
“Nina, come and set the table and get our guest a drink. He must be thirsty waiting for us for so long.”
“You’re too kind, Mrs Rollins.”
“Please, take a seat, Vincent.”
My hand becomes free of his and a gulf of relief washes over me. My legs, shakily, move towards my mom and she shoves me behind her, as she reaches for the chopping knife.
“What’s going on?”
His Ride or Die : Sons of Lost Souls MC Book Three Page 14