Lexi walked over to the bed, sitting down next to Kip. ‘Well, maybe Jesse’s timing was just a bit off tonight, huh?’
‘You’re not telling me everything, are you?’
‘Me and you, we’re just getting that whole brother/sister thing back, don’t you think?’
‘Yeah. I think we are.’
‘I never wanted to lose it, Kip. You have to know that. I just wasn’t thinking…’
‘Jesse explained a lot of stuff to me, Lex. About what went on with you guys before… He told me how he deliberately pushed you away…’
‘I wasn’t completely blameless. My head was all over the place back then. I didn’t really know what I wanted.’ She looked down at her hand, watching as her fingers gripped the sheet underneath them. ‘I didn’t even know if I really wanted Jesse. All I could do was bitch about how much I hated this place, rebel against Mum like some ridiculously childish twenty-something teenager; blame Tay for any shit that bothered me. I needed to grow up. So, you know, maybe what happened… maybe it was for the best. Maybe that was exactly what I needed because… because things…’ She looked at Kip, her eyes meeting his, holding his gaze, ‘… things have happened that have given me one hell of a reality check, Kip. Things have happened that meant I had no choice but to grow up. Fast.’
Kip frowned, his eyes searching her face, looking for answers. ‘I don’t understand… do you…? Something to do with Shane?’
Lexi turned away from him, bowing her head. ‘He wasn’t the only reason.’
‘Jesus, Lexi, come on. You’re scaring me now.’
She raised her head to look at him again, her eyes boring into his. Her brother. Her one-time best friend. ‘I don’t think tonight is the right time…’ She turned away once more, knowing she’d said too much. ‘Not tonight, okay?’
‘Can we just forget about the club for a minute, Lex? Please?’
Her eyes were back on his. ‘You think we can actually do that?’
‘What aren’t you telling me?’
They were interrupted by the appearance of Angie leaning against the doorpost. ‘Everything okay with my babies?’
They both looked up at her, their smiles probably weaker than they would have liked them to be. Although Lexi was finding it hard to hide her relief.
‘I’ll go get that shower, huh?’ Kip sighed, pushing himself up off the bed and heading off into the bathroom.
Angie sat down next to Lexi, waiting until she heard the shower switch on before she spoke. ‘Everything really okay?’
‘He knows something isn’t right. He knows I’m hiding something. We really need to tell him, Mum.’
Angie squeezed Lexi’s shoulder, smiling slightly. ‘Yeah. I know, honey. But not tonight, okay? It’s late, and I think everyone just needs to get some sleep now. You gonna head off home in a little while?’
‘He’s gonna hate me, Mum. Me and Kip, we’re just starting to get our relationship back on some kind of track and when he finds out what we’ve been hiding… He’s gonna hate me all over again.’
‘No, baby, he won’t. He won’t hate you.’
‘How can you know that? You’ve seen how unpredictable he can be. How loyal he is to this club, to the other brothers… What if he takes it out on Coby, too? I mean, his lie – what he did…’
‘Tay and me, we’ll take the blame for all of that, honey. It was us and your daddy that wanted it all kept quiet.’
‘You make everything sound so easy. You make it all sound like something that can be easily sorted, and then we all just carry on as though nothing happened. But I’ve seen too much, been through too much to believe any of that crap. I thought I hated this place, Mum. I thought I hated this club and everything it stood for but now I know that’s not the case. I love this club, because it’s what our family worked hard for. It’s Granddad’s dream, his life’s work. He created this, and Dad, he made sure it carried on, grew stronger… and I love it here, I do. Despite everything I tried to fight against. I love the twisted safety, the warped sense of family. I love it all, God help me. But nothing here is simple, so don’t sit there and make out that what we have to tell everybody is nothing more than a few small things we just happened to keep from them for a few years. It’s so much more than that. So that isn’t the way things are gonna go down, and you know that. You know that, Mum.’
Angie took her daughter’s hand, squeezing it tight, leaning over to kiss her cheek. ‘I know, darlin’. But we have no choice now, do we? We’re killing the secrets, and we’re bringing your baby home. So the truth has to come out. And we’ll just have to deal with whatever fallout that creates. But, after tonight… you’ve seen how something like this can bring everybody back together, Lexi. And I really do think we’re all gonna be okay now.’
Lexi just hoped she was right.
***
‘You could have got us all fucking killed tonight,’ Coby hissed, slamming Tay back against the wall outside. The rain had finally stopped, its pounding noise and almost threatening rhythm that had accompanied that night’s events giving way to a peaceful but uneasy calm.
‘I know, okay? I know. And I’m sorry…’
‘Sorry?’ Coby let out a quick and cynicism-laced laugh, letting go of Tay and leaning back against the wall beside him, pulling a cigarette out of the packet with his teeth. ‘You’re sorry. Jesus… how the hell could we not have even considered that the Ravens and the Cabos would work together to fuck us over? How could we not see that?’
Tay pushed a hand through his hair, his eyes staring down at the wet ground. ‘Because we’ve both had our heads elsewhere, Cobe. We both took our eyes off the ball.’
Coby inhaled deeply, exhaling slowly, taking a long drag on his cigarette before exhaling again. ‘Shit! We could have lost somebody out there tonight. We were careless, and naïve, and that isn’t us, Tay. That’s not us.’
Tay looked at his friend, taking the cigarette from Coby, drawing on it deep, but saying nothing.
‘We don’t even know if it’s over,’ Coby went on, his voice quieter now. Calmer. ‘We’ve got the guns in our own warehouse, we’ve got four of the Prospects down there keeping an eye on things, but we don’t know if it’s over. Do we? Not after what happened tonight.’
Tay handed Coby back the cigarette, staring out ahead of him. ‘I don’t know. And that’s the honest answer.’
‘You think we might have started another war here?’
Tay looked down again, his hands in his pockets, a heavy sigh escaping. ‘I really don’t know. I mean, yeah, we sent out a message tonight, no doubt about that. We might have been naïve going into this, Cobe, and maybe I should have listened to you a bit more, made sure we’d had a better back-up plan. But considering the circumstances, yeah, I think we sent out a pretty strong message. But who knows what’s gonna happen now.’
‘You want me to come with you and Emilio? When you meet with the Mexicans?’
Tay nodded. ‘You’re my VP. I need you. But we’ll take Cain and Blake, too. Have Luca and Walt wait outside. We take as much ammunition as we can, and we go in there prepared. Although, they sounded like they didn’t give a fuck who they were actually dealing with, as long as they got the guns.’
‘You explain there are a few missing? You tell them why that is this time?’
‘Yeah,’ Tay sighed, pushing a hand through his hair again. ‘Yeah, I told them. Like I said, they seem okay with it all. Their main guy, he’s a man who appreciates honesty.’ Tay’s eyes met Coby’s again. ‘But, who knows, huh? These people we sometimes deal with, they can be unpredictable.’
‘What if we try and strike some kind of deal?’
Tay frowned. ‘All we’re doing is getting rid of the guns, then we move on. We go totally legit, wasn’t that the plan?’
‘What I mean is, what if we try and strike some kind of deal with the Cabos and the Ravens, between them and the Mexicans. We take the money we’re owed from this job, because I think we sure as hell earned
it, but then we hand everything over to them – to those two crews. Let them know once and for all that we are out of that shit. That we really aren’t gonna be a threat anymore. Just in case tonight’s message wasn’t strong enough. We try and get everything worked out, put an end to it, because I just want to walk away from this now, Tay. I want out of the crap. My son is coming home, and I want out of the crap. For his sake.’
Tay nodded again. ‘Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. I’ll go make a few calls.’ He reached out to squeeze Coby’s shoulder, smiling slightly. ‘Good job our office hours aren’t nine-to-five, huh?’
Coby smiled a weak smile back, watching as Tay headed inside. Throwing his head back he sighed heavily, letting out a whole night’s worth of tension and fear and relief, all of it spilling out of him in a loud, almost terrifying howl of frustration.
‘Hey… you okay?’
He turned his head, another small smile trying its best to make an appearance. ‘Aye. Getting there.’ He held out his hand, pulling her to him. ‘I’m starting to feel better already.’
Lexi kissed his slightly open mouth, loving the way his beard tickled her skin, his fingers slowly sliding up under her t-shirt as he kissed her back. ‘I thought we could stay here tonight. A few of the others are gonna crash out in the clubhouse, but I’ve bagged the apartment. Mum’s gonna take Jesse home with her and Tay, just to keep an eye on him, and Kip’s going back with them, too.’
Coby pulled her closer, sighing again, kissing the top of her head as his arms held her tight. ‘I’m so sorry, kid.’
‘For what?’ she asked, pulling back a little so she could look at him. Her bruised and battered soldier. A man she’d never wanted to love like this; a man she needed in a way she couldn’t even explain.
‘For laying all of this on you.’
‘Baby, it’s just another tier of shit on that crap cake this club has created lately. We’ll get through it. Like we get through everything else.’
He couldn’t help smiling, his tired eyes staring deep into hers. ‘And I guess we got something else to get through now, huh?’
She rested her forehead against his, grabbing on to his jacket, pulling him closer. ‘Let’s go get some sleep, okay? I think we both need it.’
He gently stroked stray strands of hair that hadn’t made it into her ponytail away from her face, kissing her slowly, her mouth opening in response to him, her tongue touching his, the kiss growing deeper. This woman in his arms, this woman who’d barged into the clubhouse here in California an angry and attitude-laden teenager in the mood to do nothing but fight; this woman he’d never, ever thought of in this way before until something had shifted inside him one day, something he hadn’t been able to control. She’d kicked her way into his world, and now he wanted her there for keeps. Coby Walker’s life was changing. But he still had one hell of a lot of shit to get through before he could finally start living it.
Twenty-Six
The shrill ringing shook Coby from a deep and surprisingly peaceful sleep, his eyes slowly opening as he reached over to the bedside table, his fingers feeling around for his phone.
‘Yeah?’ he mumbled, pulling himself up into a sitting position, still not fully awake. But awake enough to realize Lexi wasn’t there beside him.
‘Coby? It’s Charlie. You okay to talk?’
Coby blinked a few times, trying to rouse himself out of his still half-asleep state. ‘Erm… yeah. Yeah, I think so.’ He reached out to touch the space where Lexi should have been. It was still warm, which meant she hadn’t long been up. Why hadn’t she woken him?
‘Last night wasn’t too much of a disaster, I take it?’
‘Apart from Jesse taking one in the shoulder, no. Could’ve been a lot worse.’
‘Well, let’s just be grateful it wasn’t. You took control of the situation. That was good.’
‘Men still died, Charlie. They might not have been ours, they might not even have mattered all that much to the Ravens or the Cabos, but men still died.’
‘You going soft on me, Coby?’
Coby lay back against the pillows, closing his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. ‘Has Lexi called you?’
‘Not yet. But I’m sure I’ll speak to her soon.’
‘Her and Tay seem to have had some kind of stepdaughter/stepfather moment.’
‘Nights like last night can have that effect. Bring everyone closer. You know how it is. I trust you and Tay have bonded again?’
‘You could say that.’
‘Good… Look, Coby, I’m already here, in California.’
Coby’s eyes sprung open and he sat forward, pulling his legs up, resting his arms on his knees. ‘Huh? I mean, when did you… when did you get here?’
‘Yesterday afternoon. I wanted to be here before last night, just in case.’
‘Jesus… I wasn’t expecting you to be coming over so soon.’
‘Things need to be sorted, Coby. This club needs straightening out. And my daughter needs her son. You telling me you’re still not ready to meet your boy?’
Coby closed his eyes again, breathing out long and deep. ‘I’m ready.’
‘Things are moving fast, Cobe. I need you on your game, no distractions. We’re almost there.’
Coby looked over towards the door. He could hear voices out in the corridor, one of them Lexi’s. He couldn’t make out who she was talking to, but it sounded like Kip. ‘When are you coming to the compound?’
‘This evening. I’ve got a few things to sort out first. I’ll keep you posted.’
‘Jesus!’ Coby sighed, bowing his head, pushing a hand through his hair. ‘I’m gonna get to see my boy tonight?’
‘You’re gonna get to see him tonight. Listen, tell Lexi I’m on my way, okay? I’ll call Angie, let her know what’s happening.’
‘And what about…?’
‘Like I said, I’ve got a few things to sort out. But it’s all in hand.’
‘Okay… Look, Charlie, I… thanks.’
‘No. I should be thanking you, Coby. Now go tell my daughter her baby’s almost home.’
Coby ended the call, throwing the phone back down on the table just as Lexi backed into the room, shouting something after Kip before she closed the door behind her.
‘Why didn’t you wake me?’ Coby asked, flinging the covers back and climbing out of bed.
Lexi watched him walk over to her, naked and bruised to hell, but alive. So she didn’t care if he’d gained more battle scars or that his body was even more battered than it had been before. Did she care that men had lost their lives last night because of something she still couldn’t fully understand? She tried not to think about that. Right now she wanted to be selfish. Right now she only cared that Coby was alive.
‘That was Charlie on the phone,’ Coby said, pulling her into his arms. ‘He’s in California, and he’s got Ozzie with him. Arrived yesterday. He’s gonna be at the compound this evening.’
Lexi’s hand flew to her mouth, her eyes wide as she stared at Coby. ‘He’s here?’
Coby nodded. He could already feel his stomach tying itself up in knots, and he couldn’t work out whether that was because he was finally going to meet the son he should have met a long time ago, or whether it was the fear of how everyone was going to react when they found out the truth. Or the truth they’d be telling them, anyway.
‘Why… why isn’t he coming here straightaway? I mean, if he’s already here…?’
‘He’s got a few things to sort out first, baby. And to be honest, I think we need a bit of time, don’t you? To get prepared.’
‘I want to see my baby,’ she whispered, letting Coby cup her cheek in his hand, kiss her gently. Calm her.
‘I know, darlin’, I know. But we need a little bit of time. We really do. You know we do.’
She looked at him, nodding slowly, closing her eyes as he kissed her again.
‘Do you feel like getting out of here?’ He smiled, stroking her che
ek with his thumb. ‘Just for a little while? After what happened last night, and what’s about to happen today… it’s feeling a bit claustrophobic around here. I could do with some space. Time to get my head around everything before everyone finds out.’
She stood up on tiptoes, kissing him quickly, running her fingertips along his scarred left cheek. ‘You’d better put some clothes on then, soldier. Don’t want you catching a cold.’
He smiled again, lifting her up, her legs wrapping themselves around his waist, her arms around his neck as he carried her over to the bed. ‘Aye. In a minute.’
‘A minute?’ She raised an eyebrow as he laid her down, helping her wriggle out of her clothes. ‘Is that all it takes these days?’
He yanked off her jeans, tossing them aside, before doing the same with her underwear. ‘Take it as a compliment, kiddo. It’s what you do to me.’
‘You’re gonna have to do so much better than just a minute, soldier. That’s not even worth opening my legs for.’
‘Lexi?’
‘Yeah?’
‘Shut up and let me fuck you.’
She smiled, pulling her legs up around him as he lay in between. Who the hell was she to argue?
***
‘I hear there was a bit of trouble down by the river last night,’ Sheriff Bailey said, perching himself down on the edge of Tay’s desk in the office at the Lone Riders compound. ‘You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?’
Tay looked up slowly, pushing his chair back and walking over to the filing cabinet at the other side of the room. ‘Any casualties?’
Sheriff Bailey raised an eyebrow, his eyes following Tay. ‘Seven. Four Cabos, one of them Emilio’s VP. And three Ravens.’
Tay shrugged, sitting down on the arm of the couch. ‘Simple case of one crew getting in the way of the other, then, surely.’
‘You asking me or telling me?’
Tay laughed quietly. ‘Come on, Michael.’
Revolution (The Lone Riders MC Series Book #1) Page 24