Smoke and Mirrors: A Demented Sons MC Texas Novel

by Kristine Allen

  It caused me to tear up.

  I assumed the writing above was his sister, but I wondered why there was no date of death if it was her. Grayson said they’d lost her years ago. Deciding I wouldn’t figure out the question to that, I padded out of the room, closing the door partway again.

  I hadn’t heard the others come in yet, but I peeked out the living room window to check for their bikes just in case. Seeing nothing parked in the driveway but the SUV, I moved to close the curtain again. Right before it dropped closed, I grasped it.

  The tiny red light across the street had my heart rate spiking. Sure I was seeing things, I squeezed my eyes shut, then reopened them. The light flared brighter, then dimmed again. The hand that held the curtain tightened.

  Unable to move, I stood frozen to the spot. The cherry of what I was sure was a cigarette suddenly flicked out into the street. The large figure of a bearded man stepped into the warm glow of the streetlight.

  Familiar yet strange, his eyes met mine and held. No matter how much my brain insisted he couldn’t see me there in the dark living room, his eyes held mine. When his shaggy beard lifted and the sliver of white from his teeth flashed, I quickly stepped back, letting the curtain fall.

  A shudder shook me from head to toe.

  Was I dreaming? Sleepwalking? Surely I hadn’t seen what I thought I had. My shaking hand reached for the edge of the curtain, then clenched into a fist before I could make contact. After several deep breaths, I used my thumb and finger to move the curtain the slightest bit.

  The street and surrounding area were devoid of movement or humans. Heart pounding, I told myself I’d imagined it.

  But how? I hadn’t been thinking about him all day. It didn’t make sense that I’d imagine him out of the blue. I debated waking Grayson, but decided against it when I thought about how badly he needed his sleep.

  With uneven breaths, I moved silently to the kitchen and searched the cupboards for some Benadryl to help me sleep. Locating a bottle that was slightly expired, I shrugged, shook one out in my hand, and swallowed it. I chased it down with half a glass of water.

  Bracing my palms on the cool granite, I hung my head as I breathed deeply. I’d tell Grayson about what I’d seen in the morning. After all, it might’ve been nothing.

  When I reentered the bedroom and gently closed the door, I had to feel my way back to the bed. Trying not to disturb him, I pulled off the shirt and climbed in the king-size bed. Suddenly freezing, I crawled back under the covers.

  As if, even sleeping, he sensed me, his massive arm shot out and dragged me up to the curve of his body. The sensations it evoked pushed the worry over what I may or may not have seen away. As I snuggled into his warmth, a contented smile curved my lips.

  Despite the trying day, I was safe.

  In the arms of the man I cared about more than was sane, nothing could touch me.

  Sunday was a lazy day at Grayson’s house. We all slept in, then one by one shuffled into the kitchen. Mattie and Cale were still sleeping. The adults were disheveled and groggy but up.

  Steph and I started brunch. I could cook, but holy batshit, the woman was a mad scientist in the kitchen. At first, I’d tried to make mental notes of what she was doing. By the end of it, all I could do was follow her instructions as I watched her, wide-eyed.

  Reaper chuckled from his stool at the breakfast bar. “Don’t even try to keep up. She’s an evil genius in the kitchen.”

  Steph gave him a playful glare that was softened by the smirk she tried to hide.

  “Where did she learn all this?” I addressed him because I hated to interrupt her as she moved from one thing to the other. He only chuckled in reply. The mixer, stovetop, microwave, and oven were all going at once. She flitted from one to the other without pause. It was dizzying to watch.

  I finally gave up and sat next to Reaper. Snow was at the end drinking a cup of coffee that had made me snicker. It was more cream than coffee, which was in such contrast to the big, burly guy.

  Strong arms circled me from behind, and I tipped my head back to rest on his chest. Turning slightly, I smiled up at the man I was falling for more every minute.

  He kissed my forehead. I caught the faint whiff of minty toothpaste. “Good morning, beautiful.”

  “Good morning, handsome.” The corners of my lips curled up. Steph’s smiled mirrored mine as she glanced at us, then to her husband. The love that shone from her eyes was damn near palpable, and it had me hoping we might have that someday soon.

  Snow made a disgusted sound next to us, and I leaned forward a bit to look at him with curiosity. “What?” I asked with a grin.

  “All of you lovebirds are disgusting,” he grumbled, then took another sip of his milky coffee. My eyebrows rose as I studied the grouchy guy dressed in a plain white T-shirt and Star Wars sleeping pants. He gave me a side-eye and a harrumph.

  My shoulders shook as I held in my laughter.

  “He’s just grumpy because he drank too much and didn’t get laid,” teased Reaper.

  Grayson’s chest shook as he barked out a laugh. “Sucks to be you,” he also teased.

  I reached around and pinched his ass. Well, I tried to, but the damn thing was as hard as a rock and I couldn’t catch much of it between my fingers. It caused him to lean forward to speak into my ear.

  “You better watch it, I’m not tired anymore.”

  “Stop it!” I whisper-yelled. His chuckle rumbled through me, since he still had his chest against my back.

  Steph rushed around for a few more minutes, then popped two pans into the oven and wiped her hands on a towel. “Well, that will be done soon. You all going to survive about thirty minutes?”

  “For your food, baby, I’d wait hours,” Reaper replied, earning him a snap from her towel before she leaned over the counter and kissed him. I felt like a class-A voyeur when I saw the tips of their tongues tangle. Except it had nothing on how my stomach rippled when he leaned forward, fisted the back of her golden locks, and deepened the kiss.

  When they finally broke apart after Snow made comical gagging noises, Grayson snorted. “Fuck, I need a cigarette after that.”

  I coughed out a laugh.

  By the time the breakfast was done and Steph was serving it up, Cale and Mattie stumbled into the room.

  One side of Mattie’s hair was shoved up and matted as she sleepily looked over at Cale. Her eyes popped open wide, and she about-faced back to the bathroom. When she emerged, her hair was up in a messy bun and she had a hoodie on over her pj’s.

  Pursing my lips, I watched as the two of them pretended to ignore each other. Thankfully, Grayson was engaged in conversation with Reaper and Snow, so he missed it.

  Steph and I sat at the table with our plates. As I took my first bite, I groaned. “Oh my God, Steph. This is amazing! You truly are a culinary genius.” It was literally a food-gasm. Her face pinked at my effusive praise.

  “Thanks,” she humbly said before shoving a bite in her mouth.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the way Mattie kept peeking up at Cale in between bites. I swung my leg over and bumped her, catching her attention. Glancing from her to Cale and back, I raised a brow. Her face colored, and she widened her eyes before lowering them to her plate.

  “Ugh, I ate too much,” I complained as I leaned back in the chair and placed a hand to my bulging stomach.

  Reaper laughed. “Now you know what I live with. I’ve had to up my gym time to combat the food baby I have growing.”

  Trying not to stare, I looked where he patted his stomach. If he had an ounce of fat on him, I had a pet unicorn in my closet.

  Steph must’ve been in agreement, because she rolled her eyes.

  Forcing myself to get up, I began gathering the plates.

  “I’ll help,” Steph said.

  “No way. You ended up doing the majority of the cooking. I’ve got this,” I insisted and started to load the dishwasher.

  “Hey, we’re going to take the SUV ba
ck and get the bikes. Do you need anything while I’m out?” Grayson asked before he gave me a chaste kiss. It left me wishing for one like Reaper and Steph had shared.

  “No, I’m good. But thank you.”

  “Cale, you about ready, man?” he questioned our new houseguest.

  “Yeah. Thanks. Um, do you have anything for a headache?” He looked a little miserable, and I had to wonder how much the poor kid had drunk the night before. I hoped it didn’t cause problems for Grayson, because I knew he’d said no, but Cale’s parents may not believe that.

  Grayson went to the cupboard and shook a couple of pills into Cale’s hand. “Drink a full glass of water with that.”

  “I’ve already had two with breakfast,” he argued.

  “Drink more. Trust me,” Grayson insisted.

  Cale complied, then Grayson went into the bedroom. A few minutes later, he came out in a pair of sinfully sexy jeans and a tight black T-shirt. The man could be wearing a feed sack and he’d look mouthwatering.

  Cale waited by the front door as Grayson closed in on me.

  The look in his eyes had me wary. It was intense.

  That kiss I’d been envious of? Yeah, it paled in comparison to the one he laid on me.

  His hands were tangled in my hair as he coaxed my lips apart, then waged war on my senses. The ability to think or breathe was gone. He sucked all the oxygen from the air and with it my thought processes. All I could do was feel.

  And oh, did I feel.

  As he broke away with a firm bite to my lower lip, I gasped for breath.

  A single clap started, then another, until finally everyone in the house was clapping and hooting. My cheeks flamed as I tasted our kiss on my lower lip and tugged it between my teeth.

  “Tonight, I’m finishing that,” he said in a low growl into my ear. Then he left in the SUV with Reaper and Snow following on their bikes.

  “Girl. I think I saw sparks from that.” Steph fanned herself.

  My gaze flickered over to Mattie, worried that she might be upset over her father’s blatant show. I needn’t have worried. She was snickering as she finished her orange juice.

  “It’s about time,” she muttered as she gave me a sly smile and left the room to go shower.

  Knees weak, I dropped onto a barstool. “Holy hell.”

  “So tell me how you two met. Don’t leave anything out.” Steph grinned as she dropped her chin onto the heel of her hand.

  “Lordy. How much time do you have?”

  “You Should Be Here”—Cole Swindell

  The limo pulled out after the hearse, and a lump lodged in my throat.

  “You ready for this?” Snow was going to be riding beside me. At my nod, he racked his pipes, starting a cacophony of sound to roar through the streets we occupied.

  The procession of bikes was astronomical. I was blown away by the support the club had shown. Two by two, as far as the eye could see, was bike after bike. The Demented Sons patch was the predominant one, but every club in the area had at least some representation. It had every single one of us fighting the emotions that bombarded us.

  I’d lost sight of the SUV with the ol’ ladies and Mattie in it, and that made me nervous. Granted, I had Drew, our most senior prospect, driving, but it wasn’t me. Nova had told me about what she thought she’d seen Saturday night. Radar and I had gone over my security camera footage with a fine-tooth comb, but where she said he’d been standing was just out of the camera’s view. If he’d been there, it was almost as if he knew.

  I wish she’d woken me up, but I understood why she hadn’t.

  Cale was in the family limo with his parents and a cousin who flew in from New York or somewhere. He’d been quiet when I’d seen him first thing that morning, but he gave me a grateful nod before following his parents.

  We wrapped complete around the cemetery as we slowly made our way to the very back to park in an unoccupied area. There were so many bikes, I couldn’t have begun to count them.

  A glance to the sky had me praying the rain held off, but if it didn’t, it would be fitting. We hadn’t had rain in forever, but on the day we mourned and tears flowed like rain, the clouds hovered, dark and ominous.

  Check’s parents hadn’t known what to say when they’d seen the turnout. I’d tried to tell them at the memorial, but they hadn’t grasped the magnitude of the family Check had become a part of. I think it had sunk in now.

  As we walked toward the gravesite, none of us spoke—each of us lost in our thoughts. I’d been searching for Nova and Mattie, but there were so many people. Pulling out my phone, I shot them both a text to have the prospect bring them up to the site. Our chapter and Snow, as national president, would be with the family.

  I didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until I saw their blonde heads hurrying our way. It struck me that if one didn’t know better, they might mistake them for mother and daughter. I’d never stopped to think of how similar their builds and hair color were. Though Mattie’s was slightly more strawberry blonde, they were both fair.

  They arrived with the prospect trailing close behind, and I gripped both of their hands tightly. Keeping the outward appearance of strength, I was screaming with grief inside. As she’d promised, Nova allowed me to draw from her strength, and I knew when we were alone, she’d protect me while I crumbled.

  It scared me a little to realize I was so quickly relying on her.

  “I—” Swallowing my words, I was shocked to realize I’d almost said something that would change everything. Something so profound that it had me shaking in my fucking boots, because I had no idea how it had crept up so quickly and stealthily. Surely, it shouldn’t have happened like that?

  “Are you okay? Did you need something?” Her softly spoken words wrapped around my heart and squeezed.

  “No, I’m just hanging on by a thread, that’s all,” I improvised—not completely untrue. She squeezed my hand, brought it to her lips, and kissed my abraded knuckles.

  “Thank you,” I said, trying not to choke up. It was so odd to have someone looking out for me on that level. As the president of the Demented Sons, I always had someone who had my six, but more from a safety standpoint, not on an emotional level. I’d always had to keep my shit to myself. Emotions were a weakness that could be exploited.

  Then again, so was an ol’ lady.

  I’d been low-key anti-ol’ lady, but wouldn’t outright tell the brothers not to have one. If I did that at this point, I’d be a bit of a hypocrite.

  Because she was mine.

  My hand tightened around her as the thought shifted through my head.

  As the funeral started, Check’s parents were not doing well, but I was glad to see that Cale stood behind them with his arms around them both. At barely eighteen, he was nearly a head taller than his father. The boy was going to be a bruiser of a man at the rate he was going. At least, as long as I could keep him out of trouble.

  He met my eyes, and we shared a chin lift.

  When it was my turn to speak, I metaphorically grabbed myself by the balls and stepped up to the podium. As long as I lived, there would probably never come a day I was ready to give a speech at one of my brothers’ funerals.

  “I’m not usually a man of many words, so bear with me.” I cleared my throat. “Check was—” I blew out a heavy breath. “He was an amazing man and a devoted brother. There’s not a single one of us who could say Check wouldn’t have bent over backwards to help if we needed him. He was giving, loyal, trustworthy, and an all-around badass. The man was a wizard with computers and should’ve been the biggest nerd in the world, but he was not only cool as hell, he had the ladies falling at his feet.” I shook my head with a smile at all the memories I had. “If things were tough, he always found a way to make you laugh. No matter how many people I come in contact with, from today until my last day on this earth, I’ll never meet another person quite like him. I also know wherever he is right now, he’s cussing us for not being on our bikes.” Several people ch
uckled, and I gave a sad smile before I looked up to the gloomy sky. “Check, brother, may your ride last forever and may the sun be forever at your back. We miss you like crazy.”

  Fighting back the tears that made me feel weak and helpless, I stepped down and returned to stand between my girls.

  The other people who had been chosen to speak were a good friend from high school and Cale. He’d silently wept as he spoke of a brother who had been a role model and someone he’d looked up to his entire life. Finally, their pastor wrapped up the service.

  As the coffin was lowered into the ground, Mattie’s shoulders shook, Nova held tightly to my hand, and Gary held Shannon back as she lunged forward. Cale gripped his hair, at a loss as his eyes screamed at me. God, it was fucking awful.

  Most of the brothers were leaving from the funeral to make their journeys home. Our chapter and the Iowa chapter stayed until after Check’s family had left in the limo.

  “Fuck, I hope we never have to go through something like that again,” Hollywood said on a sigh as he cast a distraught look toward Reaper.

  “Yeah, losing a brother is one of the worst experiences in the world.” Reaper looked haunted as he stared off into space. The last time he’d been down, we’d stayed up late discussing his and Hollywood’s last deployment. I’d kept my own experiences to myself, sensing he rarely opened up like he had.

  “Thank you all for coming down. I know I’ve already said it, but it means a lot,” I said as I embraced them one by one.

  “Of course. Check was a good kid and a brother. It didn’t cross our mind for a moment not to come.” Snow gripped my hand tightly as he hugged me with his other arm. “It you need anything, you let us know. We’ll keep looking for the asshole that did this.”

  “Thanks, brother.” I was getting choked up again, and I wondered how long it would be before I wasn’t this affected.

  “Do you need us to stick around?” he asked.

  “No, but I appreciate it. Y’all have a long ride ahead of you. I know you need to hit the road.”