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

by Kathleen Kelly

  “Fuck, Deedee.” Wheels’ head snaps up. “The thing you should be worried about is your kids. Do you even know where they are?” Wheels shakes his head. “Do you care?”

  “They’re my kids.”

  “So, act like a fucking father. It’s time to step up. Deedee is a distant memory. I’m telling you now, Deedee is dead to you and this club. She doesn’t get to come back. Am I clear?”

  Wheels nods, then hangs his head.

  “Not good enough. I need to you to say the damn words.”

  “Kyle, I—”

  “No more fucking excuses!” I pick up one of his glass jars full of bolts and throw it against the cement floor. It explodes with bolts and glass flying everywhere.

  Wheels nods and stares me in the eyes. “Deedee is dead to us.” I scowl at him. “Deedee is dead to me.”

  “And your kids.” Wheels nods. “Luna and Billy need you. You get sober. Get your head right. Then you go and get them from Sean’s. Beth has been looking after them.”

  “Now?”

  I sigh and scrub a hand over my face. “No, not now. Now, we go and give Smokey a proper burial and deal with our problems.”

  Wheels stands. “Thanks, Prez.”

  “Don’t thank me. It’s going to be a long night.” I put my hand on his shoulder. “And you are going to have to explain to the club about what you let happen with Deedee and the Rochas.”

  “Tonight?”

  “No, but soon. Now… go get cleaned up.”

  Wheels walks off to the clubhouse, head down, his shoulders sagging in total defeat.

  “He’s going to lose his position, isn’t he?”

  I nod. “Probably. I know Arrow and Bags will call a vote. They only need one more.”

  “Poor bastard.”

  “No, he brought this shit on himself.”

  All of the patched-in members of the MC are out here. Unlike the parties we hold at this place, there’s tension in the air as everyone gathers inside the shed to find out Ben, Tommy, and Suzie’s fate. Glancing at Lola, her gaze is fixed on the door where MC members are filing in one by one.

  I clear my throat. “You ready?”

  She nods but doesn’t look at me. Her hand goes to the car door, and she opens it. “You’ll be by my side?”

  “Every step of the way.”

  With her lips pressed into a hard line, Lola climbs out of the car. She waits for me outside the door to the shed. Holding out my hand, Lola looks down at it and gives a slight shake of her head.

  “I don’t need you to take care of me. I’ve got this.”

  I let my hand drop. “We’ve got this. And taking care of you isn’t a chore.”

  “I can take care of myself.”

  I smile at her. “Yeah, I know, but you don’t have to.”

  Holding up my hand, Lola immediately puts her hand in mine, and we walk through the door as a couple, a force not to be messed with.

  Standing together in the center of the shed with plastic covering the floor are the three of them. Suzie’s makeup has run down her face, fear evident as she shakes uncontrollably. Ben is much the same, although his is probably from withdrawals. Tommy only has eyes for Lola, and he takes a step toward her.

  “Tell them I let you go. Tell them, Lo!” pleads Tommy as he falls to his knees.

  “Lo?” I ask her.

  “Don’t call me that.” Lola stares at me. “I always hated being called that. Mom called me that,” she whispers.

  I nod. “Did he let you go?”

  Lola nods. “But Suzie found me and brought me straight back. He was going to let Garry kill me. He didn’t have the balls to stand up to him or Suzie.”

  “Lola, please don’t let them hurt me,” yells Suzie.

  Lola’s face goes hard, and it twists into a gruesome smile. “You were all for fucking me over. All because I didn’t put in a good word for you with one of the MC brothers. Do you want to know why I didn’t, or why they wouldn’t touch your scrawny ass with a ten-foot fucking pole? You’re damaged goods, Suzie. They all knew it,” says Lola loudly. She’s breathing hard, staring daggers at the filthy, backstabbing bitch. “Me? I thought you were my friend. Wasn’t I a fucking idiot?”

  Suzie is shaking her head from side to side, crying and staring at Lola with wide, scared eyes. Lola shakes her head in disgust and turns her back on the three of them.

  I keep facing forward and glance sideways at Lola. “What do you want to do with them?”

  Lola swallows and nods once, her red hair falling across her face. “They’re already dead to me. They would’ve killed me if you hadn’t found me in time.” Lola leans in and whispers, “You do what you need to do.”

  I survey the room. Lola is the only female here beside Suzie, but I needed the MC to see she’s with us, not against us, and that she’s mine. My top lip curls up, and I take a step away from her.

  Lola keeps walking for the door.

  Projecting my voice so everyone can hear me, I say, “These three thought they could touch what’s mine, and there’d be no repercussions. Because of them, Smokey is dead. There can be only one punishment. You take one of ours, and we fucking put you in the ground!”

  Shouts and cheers of agreement sound out around the room. Suzie runs for the door only to be stopped and thrown back into the middle of the room.

  “Please! I’ll do anything.” Suzie falls at my feet, eyes downcast as she splays herself flat on the floor.

  Crouching down, I sneer at her pathetic form. “Would you have let Lola live?”

  “Y-Yes,” whimpers Suzie.

  “You fucking lying cunt!” yells Tommy, spittle flying from his lips. “I was the only one. I let Lo escape, but she… she brought her back.”

  Suzie goes up on her knees, tears streaming down her face. “N-No, I didn’t. I wouldn’t. Lo is my friend.”

  “Then you’d know she doesn’t like to be called Lo,” I whisper.

  I pull my gun out, flick off the safety, and put it to Suzie’s head, right between her eyes. Blubbering like an idiot, she keeps saying no over and over again.

  Cutter comes up beside me and nods at her. “Let me, Prez. Don’t dirty your hands with this lot.”

  “It’s my responsibility.”

  “Nah, I’m the Enforcer.” Cutter scans around the room. “Besides, you’ve got nothing to prove.”

  “And you do?”

  Cutter smiles. “The difference between us? I know what type of monster I am.” He winks at me and nods at the other two. “The men are one thing but killing a woman will damage you in ways you don’t want to think about.” Cutter taps the side of his head with a finger. “But for me, I’ll sleep like a baby. My demons are bigger than that.”

  I nod, not because I can’t or won’t kill Suzie but because he can, and he won’t care. And part of me knows he’s right, killing a woman will taint my soul. Cutter smiles at me then looks down at Suzie. His eyes change, and the smile turns deadly. Suzie crawls backward away from us as she too can see his monster that lurks inside.

  Arrow steps forward. “I claim the right to end their lives,” he yells loudly as he points to Ben and Tommy.

  “Arrow, I—”

  “No, Prez. Please, let me. I was Smokey’s sponsor, but more than that, he was my friend.”

  Taking stock of the room, most of my men are nodding. Everyone is staring at the two men. Tommy has his head down, eyes glued to the floor. Ben is shivering, clutching onto himself, oblivious to the conversations going on around him.

  I hold up a hand and make a circle in the air. They all file out, leaving Arrow, Cutter, and myself with our prisoners.

  Cutter has his gun out as does Arrow.

  “Are you sure?” I ask both of them.

  Neither man speaks. They both simply nod.

  Turning, I head for the door. The cries for help and leniency fall on deaf ears as the first gunshot rings out before I open the door, followed by Cutter’s laughter, and then another gunshot pierces the ai
r as I walk out into the fresh night air. Inwardly, I’m grateful that I didn’t have to personally end anyone’s life tonight. As president of the MC, I ultimately know their deaths will fall at my feet, but for tonight, I’ll tell myself my soul is intact.

  Lola finds me through the crowd and stands beside me while Sean joins me on the other side. In the middle of the field, off to one side of the shed, is a pyre. Upon it is a body wrapped in white.

  The MC surround it, forming a circle. Sean hands me a lit torch, its flames reaching up into the night sky. Holding it high, I take a step toward the pyre, and the smell of gasoline assaults my senses. No doubt, Sean made sure Smokey would burn by dousing him and the wood.

  “You will not be forgotten. Your death has been avenged. You can rest easy, my friend, and enjoy the delight of heaven, knowing we will join you one day in your eternal rest.” I put the torch into the bottom of the pyre and step back. The flames quickly envelop the wood and the body. “Ride hard, ride true, and know your loyalty will always be remembered.”

  As one, the men all shout, “Loyal Rebels forever!”

  Many bottles come out and are passed around from man to man. Stories about Smokey circulate as we drink to him. Some throw booze and empty bottles into the fire, but me, I watch him burn. His death is on my hands. Smokey was one of mine, and I protect what’s mine.

  Sean leans in. “It wasn’t your fault. The fuckers in that shed and Yvette Cartland did this. It’s on them. Don’t you fucking dare blame yourself.”

  “I wear the badge.”

  Sean laughs. “Just ‘cause you’re the president doesn’t make you the protector of all of us. We all make our own decisions. Smokey was following orders, and he’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

  I nod and stare at Lola, gesturing for her to take a step back with a flick of my head. Her eyebrows come together, but she nods and does as I’ve silently asked of her.

  “Carlos?” I ask Sean.

  “Do you really want to know?”

  Staring into my brother’s eyes, I say, “Not only do I want to know, but I also want in.”

  Sean smiles. “I’m going to make it look like an accident.”

  My brother is an ex-Marine, Special Forces. Not so long ago, a senator tried to take him out, and although he says the senator killed himself, I know better. Sean has always been the protector of our family. He’s always the one to stand up for the underdog, and I know he’s probably done reconnaissance on Carlos, the man who ordered the hit on Smokey.

  “Good.” I glance over my shoulder at Lola. “I’m taking her home. How soon?”

  “Tomorrow night?”

  “Done.” I turn my back on the pyre. “One last thing. Keep an eye on Cutter. He’s got a special kind of crazy on tonight.”

  As if on cue, the door to the shed flies open, and Cutter comes out carrying a body wrapped in plastic. He smiles broadly at me and awkwardly waves at me.

  “Fuck,” whispers Sean.

  “Like I said, keep an eye on him.”

  I give Cutter a two-fingered wave and walk toward my woman.

  Kyle

  We lay in wait in Carlos’ home. Sitting in the darkness, not speaking, the only movement comes from me as I stare at my watch from time to time. It’s a little past one when we hear his car pull into the driveway. The sound of the garage door going up causes both of us to stand.

  “You ready?” asks Sean as he makes his way through the house.

  “As I’ll ever be.”

  “Just like we planned,” says Sean as he positions himself near the door leading to the garage from the kitchen.

  He’s gone over the plan so many times in the past twelve hours, I’d know it in my sleep. I’m to be visible when Carlos opens the door, he’ll walk toward me, and Sean will come up behind him and put a chokehold on him, causing Carlos to lose consciousness. It’s a good plan.

  The door from the garage opens. Carlos has his eyes down and doesn’t notice me. I clear my throat, and he stops walking, his hand goes to a gun holster, but Sean is too quick and is upon him before he can grab the gun.

  The noise of a man being deprived of oxygen in a choke hold is unlike anything I’ve heard before. Carlos struggles, but Sean is completely covered, save for his face, and try as he might, Carlos is defenseless in warding Sean off. Unlike the movies, it’s visceral, and the man’s face goes red as he tries unsuccessfully to get out of Sean’s grip. It’s all over and done with in about fifteen seconds. Sean is breathing hard when he finally lets Carlos’ unconscious body hit the floor. He bounces on tiptoes like a boxer, cracking his neck from side to side, and then he grins at me.

  “Like clockwork.”

  In this moment, Sean scares me a little, and I thank the gods that he has a strong sense of family, honor, and faith. His moral compass will always protect those he loves, and I count myself lucky that I’m one of them.

  Pulling out a needle from my waistband, I pull off his shoe and inject Propofol between his toes. This will keep him unconscious for five more minutes. Its effects wear off quickly and don’t show up in a standard drug test.

  “Get his legs,” orders Sean. “This will make the drug take effect quicker if his legs are above his heart.”

  I do as I’m told, and we take Carlos upstairs to the bathtub Sean prepared earlier. It’s filled with water. We put Carlos on the floor, keeping his legs elevated on the side of the tub and remove his clothes. Both of us are wearing gloves and a pair of gray overalls with long sleeves.

  Without having to be told, I grab Carlos’ legs while Sean lifts him from under his arms. We slide him into the tub and he sinks under the waterline. Sean picks up his clothes and puts them into the dirty clothes hamper.

  “That’s it?” I ask.

  “What were you expecting?”

  I shake my head and turn my lips down. “More of a fuss?”

  “That’s only in the movies. This will look like he drank too much and fell asleep in the tub.”

  “How do you know he was drinking?”

  “He normally does.” Sean points to the bottle of brandy he’s procured from Carlos’ bar. “I’ll put a glass next to the bath, drop a little in the water, and when they do an alcohol test on him, they’ll connect the dots and rule it an accident.”

  “Bruising?”

  Sean’s lips turn down. “Unlikely. Depends on how quickly the coroner gets to the body. Bruising can take up to two days to appear. Carlos will be found tomorrow. His housekeeper comes at eight. They should assume drowning.” Sean nods to himself. “Wait for me downstairs. Touch nothing, remember?”

  I nod and jog downstairs. Sean joins me not a minute later.

  “Let’s go home, brother. My woman will be worried. What did you tell Lola?”

  “Nothing. I gave her an extra painkiller. She’ll sleep for hours.”

  “Clever. Beth would kick my ass if I did that.”

  “Does she know?”

  “She suspects, and when this hits the news, she’ll know. But Beth is cool. She’s one of us.”

  He holds a finger to his lips, and we step out into the darkness of the early morning. Jogging back to the spot where we parked the car, Sean strips off, as do I. The clothes and the gloves are put into a plastic bag.

  “I’ll burn these,” states Sean.

  My jeans and T-shirt are on the back seat, and I change into them.

  “Sean?” He looks at me. “Thank you.”

  “Fuck you, Kyle. I would’ve done that even if you didn’t come,” Sean teases, then the smile falls from his face. “It’s not only blood that binds us. It’s ink.”

  “And death.”

  Sean scowls and shakes his head. “Only if you let it.”

  I climb into the car, and Sean drives. It’s not until we get to Da’s house that I speak, “I owe you.”

  “Nope.”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  Sean shakes his head and then points to the Mercedes parked in the driveway. “When did Loch get here?�
�

  “Shit, I didn’t know he was here. Did you know he was seeing Annette?”

  “Nope, and we should kick his ass for that.”

  “He seems serious.”

  Sean scoffs. “He doesn’t know how to be serious with a woman. And Annette is practically family. You did warn all of us off.”

  “Something tells me that there was no way I was going to be able to stop it from either side.”

  “Do you think the Rochas will come after us?”

  The sudden change of conversation confuses me. I let out a long breath and slowly shake my head.

  “No. You did good.”

  “Yeah.”

  I open the door and get out. “Watch your six, brother.”

  “I always do.”

  Sean pulls away from the curb, and I head inside the house.

  Lochlan is in the kitchen, making himself a sandwich.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Checking on you.”

  “Where’s Annette?”

  “I left her safe, warm, and all tucked up in bed at her loft.” He hands me half his sandwich. “Where were you?”

  “Here.”

  “Funny, Kyle. Where were you?” repeats Lochlan.

  “I had things to do. But if anyone asks, I was here… all night.”

  He narrows his gaze and gives me the once over. Then he says, “You were here.”

  I clap him on the back and walk toward my bedroom.

  “Is it cool if I stay the night?”

  “Loch, this will always be your home. You never need to ask.” I keep walking.

  “Thanks, brother.”

  I hold up my hand and do a two-fingered wave. I’m about to enter our bedroom when Logan’s door opens a crack.

  “You okay?” I ask.

  He opens it the rest of the way, his hair is mussed from sleep. “Is it finished?”

  Tilting my head to the side, I point to the front room. “Come on. Let’s have a talk.”