‘Hey, missy. You back on this planet yet?’
Mia hadn’t realized she’d drifted off, but she must have done, because Lexi was looking at her like she’d just come round from hypnosis.
‘You all right there, sis?’
Mia smiled, gently touching Lexi’s cheek, looking into her big blue eyes. ‘I’m fine. How about you? You ready to marry our president?’
‘I’ve been ready for decades,’ Lexi sighed, turning to look in the full-length mirror behind her. ‘I guess I just can’t believe the day’s finally here. The day when I actually get to make that miserable bastard mine, for good.’
Mia laughed as Lexi turned back around, joining in with the laughter, and for the briefest of seconds Mia let herself believe that everything really was going to be all right. Ben wouldn’t hurt her, he’d told her that. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her, and she believed him. Despite everything, she believed him.
‘You sure everything’s all right?’ Lexi asked, giving Mia’s hand a quick squeeze.
‘I’m just… I’m still getting used to him not being here, y’know?’
Lexi gave her hand another squeeze. ‘Would you take him back?’
‘I can’t,’ Mia whispered. ‘I can’t take that risk. What I went through with Lennie… I can’t go there again, so no. I wouldn’t take him back.’
‘But you still love him, huh?’
‘I love the man I first met. I loved that life we could have had.’
Lexi pulled her in for a hug, both sisters holding each other tight. ‘It’s gonna be OK, Mia. Everything, it’s gonna be OK.’
‘Whoa! And if you two were to get naked and do that you’d make my number one dream come true – two sisters…’ Luca let out a low whistle, ducking as Lexi threw an empty beer bottle at his head.
‘Dirty bastard. What you doing here anyway?’
‘Coby asked me to check up on you, make sure you weren’t getting wasted or anything, y’know, ‘cause that would be totally understandable. I mean, marrying Coby and all that, who wouldn’t need a drink…? Hey! OK. Quit throwing things at me, you crazy bitch.’
‘Tell him I’m fine. Is he all right?’
‘He’s already at the warehouse. Apparently your mom’s done a pretty decent job of making it look good down there.’
‘So everything’s OK, then?’ Mia asked, aware she was fiddling nervously with her watch strap, and she immediately pulled her hand away.
‘Everything’s fine, darlin’.’ Luca grinned at her, adding a quick wink. ‘Anyway, I’d better go. All the brothers are due to ride down there in a few minutes, make sure everything’s ready for the arrival of some beautiful ladies. And then I guess you two’ll turn up.’
Lexi gave him the finger, and he left them with another wink, closing the door of the apartment behind him.
‘Right.’ Lexi took a deep breath, taking one last look in the mirror. ‘I guess I’m ready to do this.’
‘Yeah.’ Mia smiled at her, checking out her own reflection in the mirror – the short red dress she was wearing contrasting vividly with the white of Lexi’s, making her black hair stand out as it fell loosely around her shoulders. ‘I guess you are.’ She held out her hand, giving her sister a reassuring smile as she silently told herself this was going to be OK. Nothing was going to happen. ‘I guess we all are.’
Lexi took Mia’s hand, squeezing it tight. ‘The happiest day of my life, right? What could possibly go wrong?’
And that was a question that sent a cold shiver racing up Mia’s spine.
Twenty-Five
Ben pulled his hood up over his head, watching from a distance as Coby climbed off his bike, followed by Kip. He could take him out now, right now, and save anyone else the pain and the misery witnessing his demise could cause. But something made Ben hold back. A darkness had taken over his soul, working its way inside him as he’d let every twisted thought, every aspect of his fucked-up life invade his brain last night; as he’d sat there, listening to the silence. A silence that had given him a chance to finally think. He loved Mia, but she was never going to take him back. He’d lost her. And that was the catalyst that had started his descent. Seeing her with Coby had just accelerated everything, given him someone to blame, and now he was spiralling out of control, he knew that, he wasn’t so far gone that he couldn’t recognize the signs. He just didn’t want to fight it anymore. He was too tired. He wanted out, for good, before the pull of the Dark Angels dragged him down so far he’d find it impossible to escape a second time. He’d thought he’d wanted it; for a short while he’d actually believed that that was where he truly belonged, why he’d never really been able to walk away, but now he knew he’d just been weak. And even though he loved his brother, he couldn’t be there for him anymore. Sol knew the truth, and that was enough for him. He knew Ben hadn’t been to blame for what had happened to Marianna, and that’s all Ben had really wanted – for Sol to know the truth.
He nervously fingered his phone in the back pocket of his jeans. There was a part of him that wanted to call Mia, ask her one more time to stay away, just in case Sol had seen through his lies, because he’d definitely been wary. Ben had felt it, in his brother’s voice. He couldn’t be completely sure that the Dark Angels would do as he’d advised and turn up late, he couldn’t guarantee that. And if that happened, if they turned up before Ben was done then Mia was going to be caught in the crossfire, and even though he knew it was over between them, he didn’t want her hurt. He still loved her, and he didn’t want her dead. She deserved a good life, with a good man. Someone who would look after her, protect her – everything he wanted to do, but now never could.
He decided against calling her. He could handle this. Whatever happened, he was ready. Whatever happened, this was going to end. Today.
***
‘You get someone to do a thorough check?’ Coby asked, lighting up his fifth cigarette in the space of ten minutes.
‘They’re taking another look around, but everything seems OK.’
‘That’s what I’m worried about. Everything seems fine, and that puts me on fucking edge, brother.’
‘You think something might kick off? You really think the Dark Angels might actually use your wedding day…?’
‘And why did it take me so long to even think that was a possibility, huh? Jesus, I’ve been so frigging distracted I couldn’t even see the fucking obvious.’
‘We’ve got no proof, Coby.’
‘We’ve got no fucking anything, Kip, that’s the whole point. The Dark Angels aren’t an MC known for making their plans fucking obvious, but this one… this one was exactly that, if I’d just kept my eye on the fucking ball…’
‘Jesus!’ Kip sighed, leaning back against his bike, looking over at the warehouse. Angie had spent days turning it into a place beautiful and special enough for her daughter’s wedding, and she’d done a pretty good job of transforming it into some kind of biker-style fairytale setting. Lexi was going to love it, Kip knew that. But could something go down here today that would wreck it all? ‘What do we do?’
‘Nothing.’ Coby threw his cigarette on to the ground, stamping down hard on it. A small but significant action that allowed him to take just the smallest bit of frustration out on something that wasn’t breathing.
‘Nothing?’
‘We don’t know anything for sure, do we? And the last thing I want to do is panic anyone, especially Lexi. Call Garrett over in Hilton; see if he can find anything out. I’m sure he’s got contacts close to the Dark Angels that might be able to give us some kind of clue... Nobody leaves here, OK? None of our guys. Lexi, Angie, Mia – any of the women start thinking something suspicious is going on and panic sets in. Until we know if we have anything to be worried about, it’s business as usual. You got that?’
Kip nodded. ‘Are we ready, Coby? I mean, if they are planning something…’
‘When you speak to Garrett, get him to send over some more men. Just as back-up. Just in ca
se. Spread them out around the perimeters. And go talk to our guys, make sure everyone’s on their guard.’
‘OK… You gonna be all right?’
Coby forced a smile, taking out another cigarette. Chain-smoking was the only thing relaxing him right now. ‘I’m gonna be fine, kiddo, don’t you worry about me. Look, I could be wrong about this, and I hope to God I am. But if I’m right… we’ll deal with it. We’re the Lone Riders. We can deal with anything, remember?’
Kip grinned back, giving Coby’s shoulder a friendly slap. ‘Just as well, brother. You marrying my sister and all. Dealing with her..,’ He let out a low whistle, slapping Coby’s shoulder again. ‘Don’t envy you that job, Pres.’
‘Get outta here,’ Coby laughed, watching as Kip walked away, his phone to his ear.
They were the Lone Riders. They could deal with anything. They could deal with this. It could be they didn’t have much choice…
***
Ben had to keep on top of this. He had to keep moving. They were checking around the site every few minutes, which made him think they really were suspicious, about something. Had they finally realized what the Dark Angels might be about to do?
Leaning back against another tree he took a few seconds to get his head straight. If that was the case, if they had even a hint of something going down they’d be ready, so Ben could only hope he had his chance to strike before the Dark Angels turned up. It had to happen before they turned up; before anything kicked off he had no control over.
Peering out over the site, he squinted in the morning sunshine as he watched more people arriving, more bikes pulling up outside the warehouse, the air filled with chatter and laughter and the smell of engine oil and meat barbecuing. This should have been a beautiful day. A happy day. It wasn’t his fault things weren’t going to turn out that way.
Pulling out his gun he checked it over. Today wasn’t the day for shit to go wrong. This had to be played perfectly. And then he heard her voice, he was sure it was her. Looking up he shielded his eyes from the sun as he tried to focus, willing her to turn around and when she did, flicking her dark hair back over her bare shoulders, he felt a surge of emotion so strong it almost knocked him off his feet. She was the only thing he cared about. Everything else could fade into oblivion and he wouldn’t give a crap. But Mia Rose, he cared about her. Which was why he had two things to do today; why he was letting his father live, because Sol could take care of him. Hating Hector Almeda was something Ben didn’t want to waste any more emotion on. But he still had two things to do today. Two lives to end…
***
Mia followed Lexi up the make-shift aisle, each side flanked by bikers and club women, Candy Cave girls and guys from the boxing club. It was a wonderfully eclectic mix of friends and family, each and every one of them looking out for the people of this club, so she should feel safe, shouldn’t she?
Smiling at Lexi as she turned to hand her the small bouquet of blood-red roses she’d been carrying, Mia took it from her and stepped back, looking down at the ground, her heart beating so hard she could actually feel it hitting her ribs.
Something just didn’t feel right. That uneasy feeling she’d been experiencing all day just wouldn’t leave her alone. So what did she do? Pass it off as anxiety caused by Ben’s visit? Or go with her gut and tell someone what she feared?
Her hand tightened around the stem of the bouquet and she raised her gaze, watching as Coby took Lexi’s hand, smiling down at her, pulling her closer. Lexi’s eyes never left her man as she whispered the vows they’d written for each other, but Mia wasn’t listening anymore. She’d made a decision. She knew what she had to do.
***
Ben was close, as close as he could get without anyone spotting him – they were all too engrossed in the wedding now; a time when brief but important lapses of concentration could occur, and that’s what Ben had to look out for. He was ready. He just had to wait for that chance…
But then he saw her – Mia. He saw her start to slowly look around, her head moving this way and that, her eyes darting all over the place. She was checking. She was looking for something. And her body language was making him nervous. But what she did next told him he couldn’t wait any longer. As she leaned in towards Coby, started whispering something in his ear, Ben knew it was time now. It was time.
Stepping out of the shadows he fired his gun, and everything fell silent…
Twenty-Six
‘Leave him!’ Coby yelled. ‘Back off, boys, come on. Back off!’
‘Coby…’
‘Back off, Kip!’
‘What’s happening?’ Lexi whispered, her voice surprisingly steady, given the circumstances.
Coby let go of her hand, not looking at her, not answering her question because he couldn’t. His focus was solely on the man who’d just gate-crashed his wedding. ‘I don’t believe you were invited.’ Coby walked calmly towards Ben, his hand resting on the gun tucked away down the back of his jeans. ‘And it really is quite rude of you to make such a loud entrance.’
‘Fuck you!’ Ben hissed, his eyes fixed firmly on the Lone Riders’ president. ‘It ends here, Coby. You got that? Everything. It ends here.’
Coby threw his head back and laughed, he wasn’t scared of this man. ‘Your dad send you to do his dirty work, huh?’
‘Ben, please…’ Mia’s voice cut through the atmosphere, and Ben held up a hand to silence her, but his eyes never shifted from Coby’s.
‘No, Coby, this is all on me, this one. This has got nothing to do with my dad.’
‘Coby?’ Lexi’s voice was louder now, her tone more agitated. ‘What’s going on?’
‘Leave it, Lex.’ He didn’t shift his gaze from Ben. He wasn’t taking that risk. ‘Is Hector coming?’
Ben smiled a slow, twisted smile, something that made Mia’s blood run cold. She couldn’t let this happen. She couldn’t. And she knew she had to act fast, but could she actually stop this? She had to try.
She watched as Ben raised his gun, aiming it at Coby, and that’s when an almost blind panic took over and she ran at him, an action she didn’t even stop to think about. ‘Ben, please…’
His other arm shot out, grabbing her waist, pulling her back against him and it was terrifying, the way his eyes still didn’t shift from Coby.
‘You sent me back there.’ Ben’s voice was cold and calm as he faced the bigger man down, his gun still aimed at him.
‘One bullet, Cobe, and I can take him out, even with Mia there…’
‘I said, fucking leave it, Kip!
Ben laughed, squeezing Mia just that little bit tighter. ‘You won’t take me out, not yet. Not without knowing why I’m doing this, why I’m targeting you, specifically, Coby. Because I know you hate not knowing.’
Coby smirked, showing no sign of fear. This was bullshit. This wasn’t happening.
‘I sent you back there, but I didn’t turn you, Ben. You did that all by yourself. Because you’re weak.’
Mia watched in horror as Ben gently made to pull the trigger, and then relented, his face now a mask of anger and confusion. ‘Please, Ben…’ she whispered, her body sagging as his arm continued to hold her in a vice-like grip. She couldn’t fight him. It was too dangerous.
‘I’m weak.’ He laughed, a low, threatening laugh that shook his whole body. ‘And what were you when you were fucking her?’ He let go of Mia, pushing her forward.
She felt her stomach sink; it was like everything had suddenly stopped, like time had stood still. It felt as though every eye was on her, but she was only aware of Lexi’s voice uttering ‘no’, over and over again.
‘You took advantage, Coby. A man who should know better, given everything you’ve been through. You should know better, but you still went there. You still touched her, and she let you. She let you fuck her. And that – that killed me.’
Coby bowed his head, breaking the stare. ‘You want me dead because I slept with a woman you weren’t even with at the time?’
‘Lexi, please…’
Lexi walked over to her, her eyes dark and cold as ice. ‘You don’t talk to me. You don’t come near me. You pack your things, you get out of this town and you never come here again, do you hear me?’
Mia felt tears start to prick her eyes and she looked over at Ben, his face briefly softening as he slowly lowered the gun. But that moment didn’t last more than a split second as he quickly raised it again, his eyes back on Coby.
‘See what you’ve done? You ruin lives, Coby. I loved her – she was my whole fucking world and you sent me back there, you turned me into this…’
‘Jesus, have you heard yourself? You sound like a whining kid, grow up! You did this to yourself, because you’re fucking weak. Wanting me dead? What the fuck is all that about, huh?’
Ben fired a shot, quickly aiming the gun at the last minute at Coby’s shoulder.
‘Jesus Christ!’
‘Call it a warning shot,’ Ben sneered, looking around him, fixing his gaze on Kip. ‘You not gonna defend your president?’
Resurrection (The Lone Riders MC Series Book 3) Page 18