Spark of Hope: MacKenny Brothers Series Book 3: An MC/Band of Brothers Romance

by Kathleen Kelly

  “Thanks, man.” I take a sip of coffee. “Her mother has either been taken or has made a run for it. She definitely knows something.” I nod toward the sleeping quarters in the clubhouse. “So does the kid, but he’s not talking. What do the Rochas have to do with Lola and her family?”

  Angus shrugs again. “Could they be dealers?”

  Wheels laughs. “Junkies, not dealers. The Rocha cartel isn’t to be fucked with. They approached us when they first came to town, and you made it crystal clear that we weren’t interested.”

  “I didn’t realize they stayed. Why do I get the sense you have a relationship with them?” I say to Wheels.

  “I’ve kept it friendly between us. I’ve introduced them to others who would better suit their needs.”

  With the coffee cup in my hands, I sit back and fix in on Wheels with a stare. “What the fuck does that mean… exactly?”

  “It means I don’t deal nor do any members of our MC. Occasionally, they have transportation issues, and I point them in the right direction.”

  Slamming the cup on the table, some of it sloshing over the sides, I point at him. “We don’t run drugs. We all agreed. All of us.”

  Holding up his hands, Wheels says, “No, we don’t run drugs. I have a friendly relationship with Cristiano. We’re on speaking terms. The MC has nothing to do with shipments, but, man, I know a lot of fucking people. Every now and again, I give them a name… a name not affiliated with us.”

  Leaning forward, I say, “They better not fucking be. Do you remember that shit with the Dogs MC? There’s only a handful of them left. Most are in jail, or strung out, or ─”

  “Dead. I know. I’m not an idiot, Kyle. I keep it friendly. Part of my job is to look after you and the club. The club always comes first. And Kyle? Keeping the Rochas happy is keeping the club safe.”

  I know he’s right. Wheels has always put the club first, but a secret relationship with a drug cartel is a big fucking deal. I’ve no reason to question his loyalty, but something doesn’t sit right. The Dogs were a smaller MC that self-destructed running drugs for a Mexican cartel.

  Wheels points at my plate. “Eat. And while you do, I’ll make some calls.”

  He leaves the room, and I stare at Angus.

  “Run Wheels down. I want a full sweep…” I pause as I ponder about what I want. “Bank accounts, phone conversations, every-fucking-thing.”

  “He’s your Sergeant-at-Arms, don’t you trust him?”

  “Fuck, Angus. Lola’s missing. There’s a good possibility she may have a son.” I scrub my hand through my hair. “Do I really know anyone?”

  “A son?” Angus begins tapping away on his laptop, nodding his head as he does.

  “Yeah, according to her brother, that I didn’t know she had, who’s actually her son.”

  Angus again turns his laptop around to me. “Yeah, yeah, makes sense. There’s a gap in her history of six months about fifteen years ago. See here?” He points to the screen. “I thought maybe she took off, but yeah, a kid could be the reason. There are no medical records for a kid or a brother.”

  “How do we prove it?”

  “DNA. We could run his DNA.”

  I scoff. “Yeah, ‘cause we happen to have Lola’s DNA on record.” Angus grins at me, and I raise a brow. “You have Lola’s DNA?”

  “Tisk tisk… brother. I have everyone’s DNA.”

  Frowning at him, I ask, “Why?”

  “You never know when it’ll come in handy, and after Maddock went missing, I wanted to keep track of everyone.”

  “You’re a scary little freak. You know that don’t you?”

  Angus gives me a chin lift and a thumbs up. “Yep, and aren’t you glad I am?”

  Wheels comes back into the room. “Cristiano will have a sit down with us.”

  “No, with me alone.”

  “Prez, your woman goes missing, and my spidey senses are telling me we’re being targeted, so I’m coming with. And so are four more brothers.”

  “Last time I checked, I was in charge. I’m going alone.”

  Angus clears his throat, so I quirk an eyebrow at him. “I could plant a bug or two, and I’m not a threat. I’m your little freak brother, remember?”

  “Too dangerous.”

  Angus shrugs. “It’s my middle name.”

  “What, freak?” asks Wheels.

  I pin him with a glare and straighten my shoulders. Angus is my brother, and no one but immediate family gets to tease him, not even my MC brothers.

  “No, you Neanderthal, dangerous,” replies Angus, taking no offense to Wheels’ comment. “Besides, I’ve been taking some self-defense courses, and I’ve been practicing on the shooting range.” He puts a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll take care of the princess. Sorry, I meant, Prez.”

  “Fuck you both. I’m going alone.”

  “Come on, Kyle. If the cartel is involved, my bugs could help.”

  “They aren’t idiots. They’d sweep the place regularly just like we do.”

  Angus nods. “Yeah, but you never know, in the meantime, I might learn something.”

  “Self-defense?” I ask.

  Angus nods, and I take in his overall appearance. He doesn’t look as thin, he certainly doesn’t have the bulk Sean or I have, but there’s strength to him.

  “Kyle, you can’t go in alone,” states Wheels.

  “Fine! Angus can come.”

  “For fuck’s sake, Kyle. You need to show force. You need your MC with you.”

  “He’s right, Kyle. Besides, do you really think Sean is going to stay away even if you order him to?” interjects Angus.

  In my heart, I know they’re both right, but I don’t want any more of my people hurt.

  “When’s the sit-down?”

  “Cristiano said he’d meet at their garage at nine.”

  I glance at my watch, it’s four o’clock in the morning. “You couldn’t get him to meet any earlier?”

  “No, I tried.” Wheels rubs the back of his neck. “If he has Lola, he’s not going to hurt her. She’d be too valuable.”

  “And if he doesn’t? We have no fucking idea who has her. No one’s reached out, Smokey’s dead, and we’re chasing shadows.”

  Wheels’ eye bulge. “Smokey’s dead?”

  Internally, I’m cursing myself at letting that slip. Smokey’s death needs to be reported to all the senior members of the MC, but I wanted to get a hold on the Lola situation first. Mind you, it’s a total cluster fuck.

  Pushing the plate away from myself, I gesture for Wheels to sit. “I’d appreciate it, brother, if you kept that to yourself for the moment.”

  “Who did it?” he asks.

  “I’m not sure. Lola’s mother was missing. Either she did it or she saw who did it. Either way, we need to find her.”

  “Why don’t you want the MC to know?”

  “I don’t want anyone else getting hurt, and until we get some answers, I don’t want anyone else going off half-cocked and fucking things up worse than they already are.”

  Angus closes the lid on his laptop. “I’m going to get some sleep. Wake me in four hours.”

  “You’re sleeping now?”

  “What’s Sean always saying? Sleep when you can. So, I’m taking his advice and getting a good solid four hours. You, brother, should do the same.”

  Wheels looks from Angus to me. “I’ll keep my mouth shut but not for long, Kyle.”

  “You won’t have to. I’ll call church soon enough.”

  Without another word to either of them, I make my way to my room. I open the door, hang my cut on the back of it, and turn around. Logan is lying asleep on top of the covers.

  “Fuck it,” I mutter to myself.

  I’d forgotten he was even here.

  Peering down at him, the resemblance to Lola is undeniable. He has her chin and nose. In sleep, Logan appears a lot less angry. For someone so young, he sure harbors a heap of rage. I move toward the bathroom and strip down. The hot wate
r does little to soothe my frayed nerves. In front of my men, I keep it together, but here in the privacy of my own space, I go over the events of the day.

  It was strange that Lola was up and dressed to take Annie to church. It’s not something she’d normally do.

  Whoever took her, she knew them.

  Then, there’s Logan, the brother or son I didn’t know she had. He was hurt that she didn’t tell me about him.

  I’m confused.

  Lola and I don’t have secrets. Well, I don’t keep secrets from her. She knows the goings-on in the MC, and sometimes Lola is my sounding board. When Sean lit out, I was prepared to throw him to the wolves, to disavow him, but Lola talked me around, made me see that I was working off hurt and anger and not thinking clearly, that family was all-important, and I needed to remember that.

  As I soap up, the tattoo on my left forearm catches my attention. My brothers all have the same tattoo—it’s a cross with our grandfather’s initial. The joke in the family is it’s not only blood that binds us but ink. The ink that binds us.

  Da, before he died, asked me to take care of the others. With Heather’s death, I feel like I failed him. I failed to protect her, but Sean, he avenged her.

  Turning off the shower, I towel myself off and stare at my reflection in the mirror.

  I can’t fail Lola.

  She’s the one thing in this life that keeps me grounded and gives me clarity when anger clouds my vision.

  Walking back into my bedroom with the towel wrapped around my waist, I open a drawer and pull out a fresh black T-shirt.

  “You’re not into guys, are you?” asks Logan in a sleepy voice.

  I glance over my shoulder, then grab underwear and a pair of blue jeans. “You do kinda resemble Lola.”

  “Pansy.”

  I chuckle and go back into the bathroom so I don’t make the kid uncomfortable, and get dressed. When I emerge, he’s sitting on the edge of the bed.

  “Why do you think she didn’t tell you about me?”

  I shrug and sit in a chair opposite him to pull my socks on. “I don’t know. I thought Lola and I told each other everything.” Standing, I grab my boots and go back to the chair. “You sure she’s your mom?”

  He nods. “I heard her and Yvette arguing about it. I was living with my dad up until a year ago.”

  “What happened to your dad?”

  “Cancer,” he whispers the word, and I get it. If we whisper about our demons, we don’t give them life or power over us.

  I finish tying up my boots, then I sit with my legs splayed, elbows on my knees, and stare at him. “Logan, if you know anything about Lola’s disappearance, you have to tell me.”

  He glances at me, and his lips go into a thin, hard line, then he slowly lets out a breath. “Mom was selling for the Rochas. Lola flipped her lid when she found out. Told Mom that she didn’t want her son around that shit… that it was bad enough that she was using.” Logan fiddles with the hem of one of my old shirts. “It was Ben’s idea, him and Garry.”

  “Lola’s older brothers?”

  “Yeah, but they didn’t tell Drew.”

  Lola has three brothers. Well, at least I thought she did.

  “Did Lola know that you knew she was your mom?”

  Logan shrugs. “We never talked about it. I always thought it was weird that she was the one who visited me, never Mom. When Dad died, he didn’t have a will, and Yvette was named as my biological mother on my birth certificate, so I went to live with her.”

  “How long have you been there?”

  “A year.”

  I clear my throat and ask, “What sort of cancer did your dad have?”

  “Pancreatic. He’d had a sore back, and I’d been at him for ages to go to the doctor about it. He’d always brush me off, and when he finally went, it was too late. Cancer took him fast. From diagnosis to his death was only two weeks.”

  “Jesus, kid, I’m sorry.”

  Logan wipes at his eyes and shrugs.

  “You know you’re going to have to stop doing that.”

  “What?”

  “The shrug. You’re almost a man, and men don’t shrug. Say what you mean and mean what you say.”

  He nods. “What are you going to do to Ben and Garry?”

  “You’ve seen the footage of Lola’s kidnappers. Tell me who they are.”

  Logan stares around the room and then looks down at his hands. “The first guy, I know him.”

  “Are you going to tell me who it is?” My blood spikes with anger at his hesitation.

  “You’re President of this MC, yeah?”

  Lack of sleep and worry cause me to snap at him. “What the fuck does that have to do with anything? Tell me who they are.”

  “Will you kill them?”

  Scrubbing a hand over my face, I crack my knuckles and glare at the kid. I wear silver rings on most of my fingers, the kind that if I were to punch you, I’d knock your teeth out, and right now, I’m so close to doing exactly that. “If they’ve hurt Lola, there’s nowhere for them to hide. I protect what’s mine.”

  “You have to promise me you won’t kill him.”

  “Jesus, kid, the longer we sit here, the longer Lola’s life is in danger.” I lean into him, my face an inch from his. “Tell. Me.”

  Logan frowns. The fear in his eyes betrays how he’s feeling, but still, he remains firm and shakes his head.

  In frustration, I punch the wall, splitting plaster and paint. “Fine,” I growl out. “I won’t kill him.” I’ll keep my promise, I won’t kill anyone, but one of my men might.

  “The first guy is Garry. He and Ben are inseparable most of the time.”

  The kid stands, but he’s only wearing a T-shirt that swims on him. Opening a drawer, I find an old pair of tracksuit pants and toss them at him.

  “Here, put these on.”

  He does, and with the big T-shirt swimming on him and the ill-fitting pants, he appears younger than he is. Logan follows me as I walk through the clubhouse, his eyes dart everywhere, taking everything in.

  “You live here?”

  “Yeah. Well, mostly. My grandfather had a house that he left to me. Sometimes I stay there, but I’m more comfortable here.”

  “How come?”

  “I guess because he left it only to me. The house should’ve gone to my siblings and me.”

  “Why don’t you sell it?”

  “It’s home.”

  I open the door to the meeting room and walk over to Angus’ laptop. Opening it, I wait for the thing to boot up, and I gesture for Logan to sit. He stares around the table, then takes my seat at the head.

  “Comfortable?”

  He nods.

  With a shake of my head, I type in the password for Angus’ laptop—he’s used the same one for a long time.

  “My brother, the computer wiz, has used the same password since he was seven.”

  Which doesn’t make sense for a guy who’s a computer nerd. Finding the footage, I play it again for Logan. He says nothing as he watches it all the way to the end, then he peers at me, opens his mouth, then closes it again as though he’s going to speak but doesn’t.

  “Lola’s bothers? Where can we find them?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Logan, I don’t have time to be fucking around.”

  He turns his lips down and shakes his head. “I’m not lying. I don’t know. I’ve never been to their houses.”

  With a sigh, I stalk out of the room in search of Angus. His van is parked outside. I pound on the back door, and after a moment, he pushes it open.

  “It can’t be eight. My alarm hasn’t gone off.”

  “No, it’s not. Lola’s brothers, Ben or Garry, do you have their addresses?”

  “What time is it?”

  Grabbing his arm, I say, “Focus. What’s the address?”

  “Okay, okay.”

  Angus grabs his hoodie and climbs out. He makes his way back into the clubhouse, putting it on as he w
alks. Logan is still sitting in the same spot I left him. Angus pays him no attention as he sits in front of his laptop and types.

  “Nothing on Glen, but Ben is at 15 Sycamore.”

  “He lives here?” I ask.

  “Yeah. Are we going now?”

  “I’m going.”

  Angus leans back in the chair. “Don’t be a dick. Going alone is a stupid dick move. If you don’t want me to come, wake someone to go with you.”

  “He’s right,” chimes in Logan.

  “He’s right about what?” asks Sean from behind me.

  He looks tired as he rubs his eyes.

  “I’m going to pay Lola’s brother, Ben, a visit.” I wave a hand in Logan’s direction. “Logan here identified one of the abductors.”

  “Cool. Cutter and I will come with.”

  “You’re beat, brother. Get some rest.”

  “Have you?” I shake my head. “Then, we’re coming.”

  “Me, too,” says Angus.

  Sean stares around me and smirks. “Nope.”

  “Fuck you, Sean. Why do you get to go, but I don’t?”

  “I’m VP in this MC, and you’re not even in the MC.” Angus makes a noise, and Sean holds up his hand to quiet him. “And you’re my little brother. You are staying here. Besides, we need you to babysit the kid.”

  “I’m not a kid.”

  “Whatever,” replies Sean as he walks out of the clubhouse.

  “Both of you… stay,” I order as I leave.

  Angus

  I watch from the clubhouse doors as both my brothers and Cutter ride off.

  When I can no longer see their tail lights, I ask, “So you wanna come with?”

  “They said we couldn’t go.”

  Logan moves up and stands beside me.

  I nod and turn my lips down. “Yeah, they did. Wanna go, anyway?”

  “Yeah.”

  I dangle my keys in his face and then jog down the stairs. I climb into the driver’s side, and Logan opens the passenger door. He grins at me as he does up his seat belt.

  “We’ll hang back and observe.”

  “So, we’re backup?” asks Logan.

  “Yeah, that’s it. We’re backup.”

  He shakes his head. “The kind of backup that’ll get our asses kicked?”