Vengeance MC Box Set - Volume 2: Gage ~ Cash ~ Knight (Vengeance MC series Book 8)

by Natasha Thomas

  “God, Violet,” he heaves. “What have I done?”

  “You wanna know what you’ve done, you piece of shit?” A deep voice I recognize instantly booms from the doorway. “You broke my little girl. But that wasn’t enough for you, was it? You had to fuck up the rest of her life too, didn’t you?”

  “Step back,” I command when I see him make a move in Talon’s direction.

  “Fuck that,” he spits. And fuck you, Talon. I trusted you. I trusted you with more than her safety; I trusted you with her heart, and you fucking trampled it. Don’t worry, though. I’ll be there to help her pick up the pieces when she’s ready, and I’ll make sure you’re nothing but a bad memory for her. All I want to know now is if you’re going to do the right thing by her?”

  Talon’s pain-filled eyes meet his and with a stronger than expected voice he states,

  “I’ll always do the right thing by her, even if that means staying away from her. I love Violet. I know you don’t believe me, and under the circumstances, I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t believe me either. But regardless of what you think, I love Violet more than anything.”

  “I’m glad you said that because in about six months you’ll be eating those words when the baby you helped to make arrives,” he sneers, turning on his heel and walking out like he hasn’t just dropped the bomb of the century.

  Oh, fucking hell is the only thing that comes to mind. Because if what he said is true, Talon hasn’t just tied himself to Violet for the next eighteen years, at least, but her family too. Which wouldn’t be all that bad if her father wasn’t none other than, Locke Dion. Zara’s oldest brother, and runner-up for the title of the most dangerous sonofabitch I’ve ever met. Second only to, Knight.

  Cash’s Playlist

  Asking For It – Shinedown

  Emotionless – Red Sun Rising

  Ride – Twenty One Pilots

  Please Don’t Go – Joel Adams

  The Getaway – Red Hot Chili Peppers

  Black – Pearl Jam

  Help Is On The Way – Rise Against

  La Grange – ZZ Top

  Kickstart My Heart – Motley Crue

  Talk Dirty To Me – Poison

  Basket Case – Green Day

  Hero Of The Day – Metallica

  Knight…

  A Vengeance MC Novel by ~ Natasha Thomas

  Copyright © 2016 by Natasha Thomas

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof

  may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever

  without the express written permission of the publisher

  except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  eBook Published and any subsequent printing done and developed in Australia

  First Released, August 1st, 2016

  Natasha Thomas

  Sydney, Australia

  Email:

  http://www.natashathomasauthor@gmail.com

  Facebook:

  http://www.facebook.com/NatashaThomasAuthor

  Website:

  http://natashathomasautho.wix.com/natashathomas

  Goodreads:

  https://www.goodreads.com/NatashaThomas

  Amazon author page:

  http://www.amazon.com/author/natashathomasauthor

  Forward

  I’ve never had to write one of these before, but I suppose there’s always a first time for everything, so here goes.

  When I initially introduced Knight’s character in ‘Fury,’ I didn’t realize how integral his role in the storyline would be. Knowing that it was important the men of Vengeance have friendships outside the MC, is why Jonas and Knight were born, along with the addition of Knight’s brother Nate later in the series.

  A few people have messaged or emailed me asking why I included them when they are only indirectly linked to the MC, so I’ll answer you as I did them.

  Sometimes a character just speaks to you. Any of you that have read my earlier series, Devil’s Spawn MC, will already know that Reaper will always hold a very special place in my heart for that exact reason.

  Reaper’s story was written not too long after I suffered a similar set of circumstances to those described in his book. He was my way of sharing the overwhelming feelings of loss, sorrow, despair, and eventually closure with you all, but also a way to allow myself to grieve.

  With that said; out of all the men in the Vengeance series, past and future, Gage and Knight have been the men who have spoken the loudest to me.

  Knight’s story is filled with humor, a little angst, a few of raunchy sex scenes, and a plot twist that’s completely out of left field, but I can assure you there is, in fact, an underlying message that’s near and dear to my heart.

  I can’t give away too much because that would ruin the surprise, but I will share this with you. I dedicated this book to, Phoebe, a woman I met almost ten years ago. She works in an industry that many people, even in this day and age, still condemn. Their prejudice and judgment would break a lesser woman, but not Phoebe.

  See, Phoebe has a better reason than most who work in an industry belittled by the masses; her family. Her story isn’t mine to share, but through Knight, I’m able to give you some insight into what it’s like to sacrifice for the people you love most.

  I know what I’ve said comes across as cryptic, but there is method to my madness. But please, just bear in mind when you fall into this story that not everything you read is fiction – some of it is based on real world experiences either myself or people close to me have been through.

  about this book…

  What do you do when the woman you thought was ‘the one’ turns out to be the reason your carefully constructed world falls apart?

  From the moment Knight Parker met, Lena Dawes his freshman year of high school, he knew she was meant to be his. Twenty years later, on the verge of a divorce he doesn’t want, Knight is left asking himself how everything fell apart when he believed they were forever.

  As Knight’s home and professional life goes from bad to worse, he is left with no choice but to start accepting help, beginning with employing a new manager for the gym he owns and operates.

  Zara Dion is the most frustrating; stubborn woman Knight has ever met. Getting more than he bargained for, Zara has been driving him crazy from the day Knight made the mistake of hiring her twelve weeks ago, but it isn’t only his sanity Knight finds himself fighting for.

  The law of attractions says opposites attract. But what is yet to be determined, is what happens when two people with jaded pasts and cynical outlooks on life and love come together in what was supposed to be one night of uninhibited passion.

  Not all mistakes are bad. In fact, sometimes the worst ideas can end up being the best decisions you ever make.

  PROLOGUE

  ~ Knight Parker ~

  “A woman’s mind is cleaner than a man’s: She changes it more often.”

  – Fact of life

  By now, I don’t doubt that you’ve heard some of my story, or at the very least what most people consider the important parts. But I can guarantee you, you haven’t heard it all.

  If you’ve judged me already, so be it. If you think you know me, fine. If you heard what happened to my wife and feel sorry for me, don’t. However, I figure if you’re reading this, you’re probably fit into one of three categories. You’re either bored, a voyeur – vicariously living your life through the pages of someone else’s story – or you want to know the truth.

  It’s said that there are three sides to every story; yours, mine, and the truth. That doesn’t apply in this case. There’s more to it than a simple he said she said, they both fucking lied. The first part of my story may have ended with bullshit half-truths, lies by omission, and hidden agendas, but it didn’t start that way.

  *****

  Life was simple when I was growing up. As a kid, I had a mom and dad, a younger brother and a nice house in the ‘burbs. We weren’t rich, and we weren’t poor; we sat right in t
he middle as your average American working class family.

  My dad opened a boxing gym the year I turned seven, having been a trainer at his buddy’s gym for years. Dad said he wanted a legacy, something he could leave behind for me and my brother, Nate when his time came. I didn’t think about why he was doing it, I just thought it was cool as shit.

  Nate wasn’t interested in what became the family business, not like I was. My brother was and is a free spirit, and unfortunately for our mom, an adrenaline junkie. Extreme sports like base jumping, paragliding, abseiling, and skydiving gets him off, but obviously, as a kid, they weren’t options so Nate found other ways to indulge in his drug of choice.

  Joy riding in cars that weren’t his or his friends’, breaking and entering, underage drinking, and eventually, more pussy than any kid his age should have seen, let alone fucked sated Nate’s need for excitement. But not for long. As soon as he could, Nate took off to travel the world in search of his next adventure. He did that for years; popping in and out of our lives until he had no choice but to come home and put down some roots.

  Nate’s fondness for sports that can kill him aren’t my idea of a good time, but I understand where it’s coming from. I know what it feels like to crave something and the power that comes from battling to regain your control. Nate may find exhilaration in cheating death whereas, for me, it’s always been the thrill of a fight.

  Our mom – God rest her soul – died when Nate was ten, and I was twelve which means she never had to suffer through the countless trips to the emergency room with broken bones and dislocated joints. She didn’t have to watch us get stitched up while simultaneously being lectured for our reckless behavior. And she didn’t have to wash blood stained clothes, keep the freezer stocked with ice packs, or reset a broken nose or ten. That was all left to our dad to deal with.

  Hit by a drunk driver in the middle of the day while crossing a parking lot, mom died instantly. The doctor’s and paramedics say she didn’t suffer, and for that, I’m fucking grateful. That didn’t mean we weren’t in pain, though. She may have lost her life but we lost her, and that was suffering incarnate.

  Dad shut down after that. He became harder, angrier, a virtual recluse of sorts. Sure, dad still went to work, ran the gym, and did the odd private training session, but he wasn’t there. At least, he wasn’t for us. There were no more family dinners, holidays were a thing of the past, and he couldn’t give the first fuck whether we showed up for school or got home on time.

  Before we knew it, he was fifteen, and I was seventeen, and the only thing we had to look forward to was getting out of our old man’s house and away from the morbid pall that hung over our lives.

  In saying that, one good thing happened during that time which helped me to remember there was more to life than pain and loss. The year I turned fourteen, we got new neighbors, and with them came a daughter. Her name was, Lena, and she became my world. But like anything, when you pin all your hopes and dreams on one thing, and one thing alone, you’re setting yourself up for failure.

  I didn’t know it then, but investing everything I had in Lena would become my biggest regret.

  Four years after meeting Lena, dad’s gym was on the verge of bankruptcy. I didn’t know why, all I knew was that if dad didn’t have an influx of cash soon, we would lose everything. I couldn’t let that happen. That gym was my life. I wanted to work there when I graduated and learn enough from my Dad to be able to take over the running of it when he was ready to retire. Losing it would mean losing a piece of me, which simply wasn’t an option as far as I was concerned.

  So I did the one thing I could think of to save it; I joined the Army.

  It probably sounds like a ridiculous solution to an otherwise simple problem, but dad’s credit was shit, he had taken out a second mortgage on the house to cover the gym’s bills, and the banks wouldn’t loan him another dime. All other options had been exhausted, I checked. It was the sign-up bonus from the Army or goodbye future.

  Lena didn’t agree with my choice, but regardless of the fear I knew she felt about me getting hurt and never coming back to her, she supported me anyway. I made promises to her I had every intention of keeping, and I did. I promised that I’d come home to her, that we’d have a beautiful life, and I’d make her the happiest woman in the world.

  Call me stupid, and I suppose at eighteen I was, but to prove how serious I was about her, about us, I proposed to Lena a month before I was due to head off to basic training, and married her two weeks later. Those were two of the happiest weeks of my life. Two weeks that will be ingrained in my memories forever.

  Lena and I had been sleeping together for years. She gave me her virginity when we were fifteen in the basement of her parents’ house. Unfortunately, I couldn’t give her mine because I lost it when I was thirteen, but I could give her everything else.

  Lena was the first woman I ever loved. She was the first girl I ever kissed and liked it. Hers was the first pussy I ever ate. She was also the first woman to break my heart. Like I said, I gave her everything.

  As you can see, I did come home, that was one of many promises I told you I kept. Three tours of duty in sandboxes hotter and lonelier than hell, after seeing things no man should ever have to witness, I came home to a sight more beautiful than I could have imagined; Lena pregnant with our baby.

  Now don’t get ahead of yourself, I can explain. Right now, you’re probably thinking, what the fuck; I thought Lena couldn’t have kids? Well, guess what? She could, but we didn’t.

  Lena was six months pregnant with our baby girl when she suffered a miscarriage that not only cost us our baby’s life but nearly took Lena from me too. I was heartbroken at the thought of never getting to hold my little girl, and look into her eyes and see her mother and I reflected there.

  I got to see her once, for ten minutes. I got to hold Charlene in my arms, stroke the soft, dark curls that covered her head, and trace all the features of her tiny angelic face. She was perfect. Absolutely, unequivocally fucking perfect. But she was gone, and a part of me died right along with her the day we buried her under six foot of soil and rock.

  My wife was as devastated by Charlene’s death as I was, and it took years – five of them – before she was ready to start talking about having more children. I was twenty-two when Charlene died. Twenty-five when I was honorably discharged from the Army and thanked for my service. And I was twenty-nine when I found out Lena and I would never be able to have any more babies of our own.

  While it should have devastated me, I have to be honest and tell you it didn’t. In fact, my first reaction was to sigh in relief. But that wasn’t because I thought what happened to Charlene could happen again because I knew it was highly unlikely. My wife not having to live through the horror of delivering our child only to find out she was gone wasn’t why either.

  It was for purely selfish reasons that I felt the soothing balm of relief wash over me. I’ll admit it, even if it does make me sound like an asshole that I was terrified to lose Lena if she got pregnant again. She was my world, the reason I woke up in the morning and took my first deep breath. My wife meant the world to me, and I refused to let anything take that away from me. Losing Charlene did exactly that. I lost my wife for almost five years, and it nearly broke me.

  Don’t get me wrong, Lena didn’t leave me. She was there, in our house, cooking dinner, watching TV with me, talking to me about her day and asking me about mine, but she wasn’t present. Lena had checked the fuck out, and while I wish I was a better man and could say I didn’t fault her for doing so, I did. I fucking hated her for it.

  I never told her as much, and I didn’t treat her any differently than before, but Lena knew. She knew there was something broken with us, and she knew she was the only one that could fix it. And in part, she did. Things did get better, for a long time, that is until the bottom of our world fell out, and nothing was ever the same again.

  There’s no short or easy way to convey the events that
led to divorce papers being shoved into my hands by a fat, balding, sleazy looking lawyer my wife hired to be rid of my ass. So much happened, so much went wrong, that I’d be doing Lena and I a great disservice if I didn’t give a proper explanation for why we fell apart in a way that could never be put back together.

  But when it’s all said and done, I don’t know if I’m ready to share it all yet. The pain is still fresh, the wounds still raw. My life went from revolving around a woman I loved more than life itself too empty and cold in what felt like a nanosecond. That’s not something you just get over or move past. You don’t just wake up one morning and say, “I’m fucking fine.”

  This, Lena leaving me permanently, isn’t anything I expected when I thought about our lives together, which is why it hurts so fucking bad. I envisaged us together when we were old and gray. I wanted to love her for a lifetime, more if it was possible. I promised never to leave her, and now she’d left me, taking with her what I thought was any chance at happiness with her.