‘You want to make this a fight, baby, then I’m all for that. You used to like it rough, remember?’
She felt sick. Her stomach heaved, her heart racing so fast she felt close to passing out, but that was the last thing she wanted to do. She needed to stay alert, focused. She needed to think on her feet here to stop this from happening, But he was so close now; too close. His body was pressed right up against her, his liqor-laced breath making her nausea rise.
She tried closing her eyes, just for a second; tried to block it all out, give herself time to think. About what? She couldn’t move, his heavy frame was too much for her to fight. But if she stopped fighting he’d win, and that wasn’t an option Mia was willing to choose.
Keeping her eyes closed for just a few seconds longer, trying desperately to ignore Lennie’s hands on her thighs, his mouth covering her neck in kisses that turned her stomach, she thought about Ben. About that new life she wanted to start living. And as Lennie forced a hand between her legs, pushing hard against her, she realized that finding out Charlie was her real father wasn’t the worst shit that could happen to her. She’d get over it, she’d get over anything. She just needed to fight hard. And stop this.
‘We’re gonna be so good together, baby,’ Lennie murmured, pulling his hand away from her only to place it over her breast instead, squeezing it hard. ‘A new start’s just what we need. I might even forgive you for fucking another man, in time. Because you really shouldn’t have done that, Mia. You shouldn’t have let him touch you.’
She could feel his hard-on digging into her, turning her stomach again, but she knew what she had to do to distract him. She had to do it, or this was going to be over for her. ‘You’re right,’ she whispered, cupping his rough cheek in her hand, lifting his head so their eyes met. She needed him to look at her, to see nothing but her. ‘Maybe a new start is what we need. And I’m sorry, okay? For letting another man touch me. I know it was wrong, and I’m sorry.’
He smiled, a smile that had once made her heart jump with joy, because there’d been a time when she’d loved this man. But that smile meant nothing now. She hated it, hated him, and everything he’d become. ‘I knew you’d come round to my way of thinking. You just needed a little reminder, that’s all.’
She tried to smile back, hoping it was a smile that reached her eyes because he needed to believe she was going for this. ‘Why don’t you remind me a little more, Lennie? Huh?’
His smile grew into a wider grin, and Mia braced herself, closing her eyes again as his mouth lowered down on to hers and it was all she could do not to pull away and throw up. He tasted of cigarettes and stale alcohol, the smell of him making her silently heave, but she had to go with this. Make him think she was on side. But that was a place she was never going to be.
Reaching behind her again she continued to give in to his kiss as she slowly and as quietly as she could opened the drawer to her left, feeling about inside until her fingers closed around the cold metal object. Carefully shutting the drawer, moaning softly to cover up any noise it might have made, she slid the gun into her back pocket, gently pushing Lennie away, but only slightly, that fake smile she was finding so hard to keep in place still on her face. ‘Now get the fuck away from me,’ she hissed, her tone of voice braver than she actually felt.
His expression changed in an instant, confusion quickly being replaced by another hateful sneer. ‘You don’t get to play games, sweetheart.’
‘Turn around, and get out. Now.’
He threw his head back and laughed, a loud, body-racking laugh that echoed around the kitchen. And in the split-second it took for his head to roll back, that was Mia’s opportunity. The only chance she was going to get, and she grabbed that chance, whipping the gun from her back pocket, but Lennie was too quick for her. It took just another split-second for him to push her back against the wall, his hand back around her wrist as he attempted to grapple the gun from her grasp. But a strength Mia hadn’t even realized she’d possessed seemed to be surging forward. It was as though a completely different entity had taken over her hand, her fingers tightening around the gun as though they’d been glued on to it.
‘You’re playing one hell of a dangerous game here, darlin’,’ Lennie sneered, his face right up against hers, that liqor-laced smell once more overwhelming her senses. But she had every reason to fight him now. He was nothing. A messed-up man who’d thrown his life away because he’d been unable to deal with something that, yes, it had been hard. Dealing with the death of someone close to you wasn’t something you got over easily. But Lennie had allowed his grief to change him forever. Not being able to control what had happened to his brother had left him unable to carry on as the person he’d once been. Instead he’d let control take over him. Let violence and revenge become the centre of his world. And yet, things could have been so different, if he’d just let people in. But this… this had to stop. ‘And anyone who plays games with me, they don’t win.’
She felt his hand slowly start to pull her fingers away from the gun. She’d let a momentary lapse of concentration almost cost her this situation, and she quickly closed them back around the handle, lifting a leg and kicking out at Lennie, so hard he staggered backwards.
‘Come near me again, and I will pull this trigger so fucking hard it breaks.’
Lennie eyes were fixed on hers, his stare defiant. ‘You haven’t got the bottle, Mia.’
‘You have no idea how much I want to put a bullet in that sorry fucking brain of yours.’
‘Like I said, sweetheart, you haven’t got the bottle.’
‘Haven’t I?’
He shook his head, smirking, watching as she carefully rested her finger on the trigger, slowly pulling it back, but once more his movements were too quick. He lunged at her, knocking the gun from her hand, grabbing her around the waist and pushing her face into the wall, yanking her arm up her back.
‘You won’t win this one, Mia. It’s gonna be so much easier if you just take what’s coming. You might even enjoy it. I mean, it’s been a long, long time since you felt my dick inside you. And believe me, baby, it is aching to go back in there.’
His words made the nausea rise up into her throat, but she swallowed it down, willing that anger and that strength she’d had not a minute ago to return; to help her out here. And she prayed silently to a God she wasn’t even sure existed, but if he did, she’d be forever grateful for his help.
‘Be a good girl, don’t fight this, and no one gets hurt. You hear me, darlin’?’
She nodded, trying to keep her breathing under control as she felt him slide a hand around her stomach, down to the zipper on her jeans. And that’s when the anger took over again; when she felt nothing but a raw, intense hatred for a man she’d ceased to recognize a long time ago. A hatred that rose up from the pit of her stomach, unleashing itself in a howl of anguish so loud it took Lennie completely by surprise, causing him to momentarily step back from her. But it was a moment that was long enough for Mia to crouch down and pick the gun back up, pointing it at him with a surprisingly steady hand, her face carrying no emotion as she stared at him.
‘No more, Lennie.’
‘You don’t get to call the shots here, sweetheart.’
‘I get to call this one.’ She started to pull the trigger, and he lunged towards her again, a little too late, the shot catching his shoulder, a small spurt of blood hitting the wall behind him.
‘You fucking bitch!’ he spat, ignoring the pain he must’ve felt as he went for her, reaching for the gun she still held outstretched in front of her, but this time her aim was more precise. Everything she’d been taught growing up suddenly flooded back to the forefront of her mind; things she hadn’t ever thought she’d need to make use of, but somehow they’d stayed there, filed away in her memory, waiting for that time when she just might need them.
A mess of blood and brain matter splattered the wall and cupboards behind him as the shot fired into Lennie’s forehead, an almost pe
rfect hit. And Mia watched, emotionless, as his body fell to the floor, his eyes still open, his face a mask of anger and shock. The sound of him hitting the blood-spattered tiles below rocked the small kitchen, Mia’s eyes unable to move away as he landed in an undignified heap. But he deserved no less. He’d ended up little more than an animal. A man hell-bent on something even he hadn’t been sure of.
Walking over to Lennie’s lifeless body, Mia gave it a gentle kick, just to make sure he really was dead this time. Then she kicked him again, a little harder, and again, each time raising the level until she was lashing out at him like he was nothing more than a pile of rubbish on the street. She kicked and kicked, screaming out all the anger and frustration and a self-pity she knew she still carried around with her. She screamed it all out until her voice was hoarse and her foot was sore from the kicking.
Lennie Rose was finally gone. Out of her life. And she sank to the floor, surrounded by the blood of her dead husband, and cried like she’d never cried before.
Twenty-Eight
‘I know Dad said we should just leave her alone, but…’
‘He’s right, Kip. She needs some time to get her head around it all. This must have been one hell of a shock for her.’
Kip threw another burger on to the barbecue. Keeping himself busy was taking his mind off everything else that was going on, giving him something to focus on, no matter how trivial. Trivial was nice, sometimes. It wasn’t something that happened a lot around the Lone Riders compound – trivial shit. ‘I might give her a call later,’ he said, flipping the burger and throwing a slice of cheese on top of it.
‘Yeah, well, make sure it is later, okay?’
Kip looked at Lexi. ‘You’re not my mum, Lex. So quit telling me what to do.’
‘Hey, hey, don’t talk to my old lady like that, brother.’ Coby slid an arm around Lexi’s shoulders and she reached up to slide her fingers between his, snuggling in against him.
Kip sighed, tossing the burger into a bun, staring down at it as though he couldn’t even remember cooking it. ‘I’m not even fucking hungry.’
‘I am.’ Luca grinned, coming up behind Kip and reaching over his shoulder to grab the burger from his hand.
‘Knock yourself out,’ Kip sighed, pushing his cap back off his head.
‘She’s gonna be all right,’ Lexi said gently, giving her brother a sympathetic smile.
‘Yeah.’ He sighed again, taking off his cap and pushing a hand through his hair. ‘Yeah. I know she is.’
‘Are you?’
Kip returned her smile, folding his arms as he leaned back against the barbecue. ‘I’m forty years old, sis. I think I’ll survive.’
‘Christ, Kip, you cook a mean burger, brother,’ Luca mumbled through a mouthful of ground beef. ‘Who knew, huh? Looks like you’ve inherited some of your mom’s culinary talent.’
‘It’s a frigging burger,’ Kip replied dryly, giving Luca a withering look.
Lexi and Coby took that as their cue to leave them to it. Normal service was slowly being resumed.
‘How are you bearing up?’ Coby asked as they walked towards the tables out the front of the clubhouse.
‘None of this is about me,’ Lexi said, letting Coby pull her into his arms as he leaned back against the wall. ‘But it’ll be good to get this place back to how it was before. Before all this crap with Lennie kicked off. Before my dad decided to drop another bombshell on us.’
‘Secrets can destroy people, Lexi. We know that better than anybody. Yet we still keep making the same mistakes.’
She looked at him sharply. ‘You got something you’re not telling me?’
‘I was talking in general, darlin’.’ Coby quickly kissed her forehead before his mouth met hers, and she just fell against him, glad to be in his arms. Happy to be with a man she’d had to fight so hard to win. ‘I think we’re clear of all that now. No more secrets. No more lies.’
She smiled at him, reaching out to gently run her fingers over his beard. ‘Yeah. No more secrets… I love you, soldier.’
‘I love you too, kid.’
‘Enough to come inside and show me how much?’
‘You propositioning me, beautiful? Because, you know, my old lady, she’s one hot biker queen. And if she found out…’
Lexi laughed, giving his arm a sly nip. ‘I’m too tired for role play.’
‘You weren’t saying that last night,’ he murmured, his mouth finding that soft spot just below her ear, ‘…when you had that schoolgirl skirt on, begging for corporal punishment to be brought back.’
‘Oh, that is so not fair,’ Lexi groaned. ‘But, if I remember rightly, that punishment is yet to be doled out. And I was a very, very naughty girl. Don’t you think?’
He pulled her tight against him, his dick rock hard against her thigh. She could feel it throbbing through his jeans. ‘Not naughty enough,’ he growled, playfully biting her neck, causing Lexi to let out a little scream, followed by a loud, low-down-dirty laugh.
‘Oh, Jesus, get a fucking room,’ Luca groaned, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it up. He grinned, holding it out to them. ‘I think you guys probably need this more than I do.’
‘Piss off,’ Coby laughed, his arms still tight around Lexi’s waist.
‘Whatever you say, boss,’ Luca said, still grinning as he backed away.
‘Still want your arse smacking?’ Coby asked, raising an eyebrow, which just made Lexi laugh again.
‘So romantic.’
‘Like I said before, baby, if it’s romance you’re after…’
She shut him up with a kiss, burying her fingers in his gray-flecked hair, pressing her body up against his. Not that it could get any closer. ‘Screw the romance. I just want to be fucked,’ she breathed, pushing her breasts out at him.
‘Jesus Christ!’ Coby groaned, throwing back his head. ‘I want to marry this woman!’
‘Do you?’
He looked at her. Right into her eyes. And suddenly the joking stopped. ‘Aye. Aye, I fucking do.’
‘Okay… well…’
‘I want to marry you, Lexi Hart. Do you fancy it, darlin’?’
‘Getting married?’
‘You’re not making this easy, kid.’
‘I’m not here to make your life easy, soldier.’
‘You gonna marry me or what, Lexi?’
She kissed him long and deep, her body moulding itself against his, his hands in the small of her back keeping her pressed to him. ‘What do you think?’
He grinned, picking her up and swinging her around, her legs wrapping themselves around his hips as they both laughed out loud. ‘I’m getting fucking married!’
‘Okay. Okay, baby. Put me… Coby! Put me down, you’re making me dizzy here.’
He lowered her to the ground, his arms still holding her close. ‘You want to keep it to ourselves for now, huh?’
‘As much as we can, baby, yes. I just think enough’s gone on tonight without throwing something else into the mix. Even if it is something positive. And God knows this club could do with that right now.’
‘You two are looking pretty happy with yourselves. Got something going on there you might wanna share?’ Shane grinned as he walked over to Lexi and Coby.
‘Not yet, no,’ Coby said, sliding a hand surreptitiously down on to Lexi’s bottom. She made no attempt to move it. ‘Something I can do for you, Shane?’
‘Just wondering if I could have a word, boss.’
‘Now?’ Coby asked, giving Lexi’s ass a tiny squeeze.
‘No. Later, if that’s okay. Got something I think you might be interested in. Might be of use when we start putting those new plans you’ve got for that wasteland behind the compound to good use.’
Coby frowned slightly. ‘Couldn’t that wait ‘til the morning, Shane? I mean, there’s a party going on here, and all that business bullshit…’
‘I really think we could all benefit from this, Cobe. And I guess I’m kinda desperate to tell you abo
ut it. Could be of real use to the club.’
Coby shrugged, his hands finally moving up to Lexi’s hip. ‘Okay. Come get me when you need me.’
Shane threw both him and Lexi another wide smile, tipping his cap at them before he walked away.
‘He’s a good guy,’ Lexi said, her eyes following Shane as he headed over towards the barbecue.
‘Hmm?’ Coby was distracted by something going on over by the garage. Kip was talking rather animatedly into his cell, and the look on his face was making Coby more than a little uneasy. ‘Sorry, kid, what did you say?’
‘Shane. He’s a good guy.’
‘Aye. Aye, he is… Sorry, darlin’, can I just…’ He let go of her, and Lexi watched as he walked quickly over towards Kip, who in turn was making his way over to them, and all Lexi could feel was a wave of dread start to slowly wash over her.
‘It’s Mia,’ Kip gasped, bending over as he tried to catch his breath.
‘What about her?’ Coby asked, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Kip.
‘We need to get over there, Cobe. Now.’
Twenty-Nine
Mia couldn’t move. She hadn’t moved since the realization of what she’d done had kicked in. She’d just sat there, staring at Lennie’s lifeless body, feeling as though she were looking in on something she wasn’t really a part of. It was like everything was happening to someone else, she felt so detached from it all. She’d killed Lennie. And it was like every emotion she’d ever felt had died with him. All she could feel was a sweeping, terrifying emptiness taking over.
But when the reality had finally started to sink in, a new-found panic had taken hold, and the only thing she could think of to do was to call Kip; to get the help she knew she needed, because she was in some deep shit here. She’d just shot a man. She’d just killed someone. And she’d never been so scared.
She looked up from where she was still sitting on the blood-soaked floor as Kip, Charlie and Coby walked calmly into the kitchen, followed close behind by Luca and Red.
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