Cain
Living in the apartment above the café with Rosa wasn’t ideal, but it was necessary until things had calmed down. Colt and Six kept contacting me and trying to convince me to move north of the border into Canadian territory. But as much as I loved the scenery up there, I didn’t feel connected to the place in the slightest. It could never be home. Not for me or Rosa.
Rosa continued with her studies and was doing so well. She made me proud. And I was in awe of her determination. Staying out of sight was becoming impossible for me. I was going stir-crazy again. My love of the outdoors had returned and being stuck in a poky little two-bed apartment just didn’t cut it. Plus I wasn’t happy to be relying on two old folks to feed me. I needed to get the hell out and back to normal life.
But Colt was still reluctant for me to be seen out in public. I’d grown my hair and let a full beard grow in, but apparently it still wasn’t enough. He kept in touch via text messages mostly but made the odd visit up too. Sometimes Six came along for the ride.
The final straw came when Rosa was late home from school and I began to worry. It wasn’t so far to walk from the school bus, but when we discovered that she hadn’t even gotten on the bus, Ellen and Hank insisted that they go looking for her; and once again I was rendered fucking useless. The whole situation was at a point of no return.
They had been gone twenty minutes, and I could stand it no longer. I pulled my bike out of the yard around back and set off in the direction of the school. I passed Ellen and Hank as they were returning in an empty fucking car. My heart rate spiked and fear knotted my guts. Where the fuck was she? What had happened to her?
As soon as they realised it was me, they spun their car around and began to follow me. Hank was at the wheel, and he kept on flashing his lights to get my attention, but I forged ahead. No one was going to stop me from protecting Rosa now.
No one.
Later that day we all sat around the large gnarled oak kitchen table in Hank and Ellen’s rustic home. The mood was sombre and the atmosphere thick with apprehension. In the heavy silence that hung over the room, I could almost hear the cogs turning in everyone’s minds.
Rosa hadn’t been found.
It was four hours on from when she hadn’t returned from school, and everyone who could possibly know her whereabouts had been contacted several times. Colt was refusing to inform the police, saying it would only make matters worse. He was sure the Legion had her. And all I knew was that when I got my hands on whoever it was that had her, I would fucking rip them limb from limb.
The phone rang and Hank answered it in a hushed tone. With a worried expression, he handed the receiver to Colt, who listened with a frown. His knuckles became white where he gripped the handset. I stood, fists clenched, and walked to stand before him. I could see his jaw muscles ticking under his skin.
“Okay. We’re on our way.” He handed the phone back to Hank and rubbed his hands over his face.
“Where is she? Who the fuck has her, Colt?” My words came out in a rush.
“Up state. Old Legion warehouse. The bastards have gone too far this time.”
His words sent the cold hand of fear trailing down my spine, leaving shivers in its wake. “W-why? What have they done?”
“You’d better sit down.”
I shook my head. “Just fucking tell me. Please.”
“She’s been dating a guy in school. Some kid called Tyler. Turns out he was the son of one of the Legion. He’s been getting close to her to find out about you. She must have told him you were back. Apparently she got on his bike after school. She told one of her friends that she would let you know where she was. Clearly that’s not happening, and my guess is that’s because they won’t let her call you.”
A wave of nausea washed over me and I felt the colour drain from my face. “Fuck. I have to find her, Colt. We have to go now!”
“I know, son.” His expression was grim. “I know.”
The warehouse was in darkness and I was glad Colt had returned my forty-five to me. Although I knew I had shot someone before, I couldn’t piece together the memory of it. But if it’s what was necessary to get my sister out of there, then I would do what I had to.
Colt, Six, and some of the other guys had the place surrounded, but I had told them it would be me who went in after her. They protested, saying I’d be a walking target, but she was my sister. She was my responsibility. My flesh and blood.
My reasoning prevailed. I would go in, and they’d wait for my signal if and when I needed them to back me up.
I tried a rotten old door and it creaked open. I cringed and hoped that the bastards hadn’t heard me coming. But who was I kidding? They were lying in wait for me.
I crept through the minimal space I’d created and allowed my eyes to adjust to the darkness. The place stank of old diesel oil and there was a thick heaviness to the air—the kind of atmosphere that occurs when something really bad is on the verge of happening. The combination created a sensation and stench that made my gut churn. I held my gun aloft with the safety off. I wanted to be ready. I could hear raised voices coming from the office at the back of the warehouse and so I slowly crept toward it.
“You lied to me, Ty. I can’t believe you’d do that. Not after everything you said.” Rosa’s emotion-filled voice rang out, and my heart clenched. I’ll kill the bastard!
“I’m sorry, Rosie, really I am. They made me do it. I wanted to tell you but… well, you can imagine what would have happened if I’d done that.”
“At this moment in time, Ty, you can fucking drop dead for all I care!” she screamed at her captor, and I found myself first cringing at her language and then feeling proud of her for standing up to him.
“Aww, come on, Rosie. Please. I meant it when I told you how much I like you. I’m sick of this fucking shit with the clubs sparring all the time. All’s I want is to have you as my girl and the rest of them can go fuck themselves. But… it’s like we’re Romeo and Juliet, you know? It’s not allowed and stuff.”
I snorted from my hiding place. Oh yeah, very articulate, bro. You’re putting Shakespeare to shame. Dumb fucking idiot.
“No, Ty. We are not Romeo and fucking Juliet. We are nothing like them. Although there is one similarity. You could end up fucking dead if my brother finds me here.”
I couldn’t help chuckling to myself at her comeback. No doubting that she was my kid sister, that’s for sure. I got the distinct feeling that this Tyler kid was under duress about the whole situation, and I calmed a little. He wasn’t out to hurt her, and no one else seemed to be around.
“You… you think Cain would really kill me? I mean… I heard he was a badass, but I hoped he might go easy on me. I don’t want to be doing this, Rosie.” The kid sounded panicked. And I was glad.
“So let me go. Let me walk out of here, and I’ll talk to Cain. Maybe I can make him go easy on you.” Her voice had softened and I got what she was trying to do.
As for going easy on him? Huh! Not fucking likely.
“I… I can’t. If the others come back, I’m dead if I let you go.”
“You’re dead either way then.” She sounded defeated and I took that I my cue. With my gun held tight, I turned and kicked the door with a force that knocked it from its top hinge. The crash made Tyler spin around to face me, and when he saw me, he dropped to his knees, covering his head.
“Aww, fuck! I’m sorry, man. Please don’t hurt me. I’m sorry! I didn’t wanna do it. I like her!” he sobbed.
I walked over and pointed the gun at his head. Rosa gasped from the chair where she sat. Only when I got a closer look at her, I saw she was tied with her arms behind her back. I glanced over and shook my head slowly, hoping that she understood I wasn’t going to hurt the asshole. Just scare him a little. Well… maybe rough him up a bit.
“Get up, you fucking little ass-wipe,” I growled.
He made a little girly squeak. “I’m really sorry. Really sorry.” He slowly got to his feet.<
br />
I glared at him, hoping I came off as menacing. “I suggest you untie my sister.”
“Y-yes, sir.” He walked behind her chair and began fumbling around. Just as he got the rope untied, I heard shouting outside. Then the crack of gunfire. My heart almost jumped out of my chest. Rosa screamed.
I turned to face my sister’s kidnapper. “You, come with me. Do anything stupid, Romeo, and I will blow your fucking brains out. Understood?”
He nodded, wide-eyed, and a large wet patch appeared on the front of his jeans. I could smell the reek of piss.
I shook my head in disgust. “Rosa, follow close behind.”
We made our way out of the little office and toward where the battle had broken out. I could see fists flying, and thankfully no more shots were fired. Sticking my thumb and forefinger in my mouth, I blew out a high-pitched, piercing whistle and everyone stopped dead.
I brandished my gun in the air. “I have your boy here. How does that saying go again? An eye for an eye? Well how about a teenager for a teenager? I’ll be taking this little shit with me. Any of you try to follow, and he may just wind up dead in a fucking ditch. You reading me?”
One of the Legion stepped forward, hands held up in surrender. “Whoa, man! He’s my son. Don’t you fucking hurt him! Please, don’t hurt him.”
“I’ll do you a deal, shall I? You keep away from our clubhouse and our members and we’ll let him live.”
The leather- and denim-clad middle-aged man sniggered at me. “You do know that you’re dead when Deak hears about this, don’t you?”
I grimaced at him. “I doubt that. He’s getting old now. I reckon I could take him on.” I was pretty damn sure that provoking the fucker wasn’t the best way to go, but I couldn’t resist. I shoved Ty away from me. “Weasel, get this asshole on the back of your bike.” Well, come on, I didn’t want my bike stinking of piss. “Rosa, you’re coming with me. Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
The prick from the rival club laughed darkly and called after me, “He wasn’t gonna harm your sister, dude. It was you Deak wanted. Can’t say that will be the case anymore. I would think seriously about your next move, Somers. Reckon you’re both gonna wind up dead now.”
“I wouldn’t go making threats if I were you, shithead,” I told him as I pulled on my helmet and straddled my bike. The rest of the crew followed suit, and we peeled off down the long road. Rosa clung on to me and leaned into my back. Even over the rumble of the engine, I was sure I could feel the vibrations of her sobs through my cut. Poor kid. I bypassed the turnoff for Hank and Eleanor’s home and headed straight for Rose Acres. There was no point going back into hiding now.
I was pretty sure I was done for.
It was just a matter of how long I had left.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Kelly
Four weeks after accepting the role on Skye, I was packed up and moving. I was following the removals van along the A87 and singing along to the MP3 player plugged into my car stereo. Images of Cain floated through my mind as I listened to the painful lyrics of “Simple Together” by Alanis Morissette, and tears began to fog my eyes. The rain beating down on the windscreen matched my solemn mood. I was supposed to be excited, but deep inside it felt like this new beginning was more of an ending.
Hearing Alanis sing about how she thought she was going to have this amazing life with the man she loved only to realise he didn’t feel the same shattered my heart into pieces. Cain had said he loved me, but I still lost him. And now I was moving away and he could never find me even if he wanted to.
But I doubted that he’d even remember me by now.
And how the hell could he have loved me anyway?
We pulled over the Skye Bridge and along the main road heading toward the little town of Portree. The quaint cottage I was renting was remote but beautiful and outside of the town, so I had the space and fresh air I wanted but also all the amenities like shops, doctors, and dentist only a short drive away. The best of both worlds. It was a complete contrast to North Kessock and Inverness, but it felt like the right move.
Several hours later, and the removal van pulled away, leaving me to begin my new life all alone. Esme was unable to help me on moving day due to work commitments, and even though Dermott had tried to insist, I had been strong and said no to his offer of help. I didn’t want to lead him on following his recent profession of undying love. But as I sat there on my leather couch surrounded by boxes, I wondered if I had made a phenomenal mistake. In more ways than one.
It had been a long and tiring day. I had kept bursting into tears for no apparent reason and I’d had to switch off my background music, as not only was it not helping me feel settled, it was stirring up emotions in me that I really needed to be free from.
At six in the evening, it was very dark outside. My cottage was the end one of a row of four on a farm track off the main road into Portree, and during the daytime the scenery was stunning. At night, however, the place was eerily quiet.
I wrapped my furry couch throw blanket around my shoulders and stepped out the back door. Peering up at the sky took my breath away. The blackness overhead hadn’t got the usual patches of light pollution I was used to. Instead the canopy was dotted with tiny white lights; some flickered and some just glowed. The sight was one I was sure I would never cease to be affected by, and a lump of emotion tightened my throat once more.
I turned to walk back into the house and inhaled a deep, cleansing breath of Skye’s cool evening air. Before I entered the house I exhaled, hoping that all my worries would leave my body along with the contents of my lungs.
Deciding that more unpacking could wait until morning, I walked through to my cute little hand-built kitchen and tugged the cork out of a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. I reached for a large wine glass and filled it almost to the brim with the dark red liquid. With one hand holding my blanket and the other clutching my glass, I made my way back through to the living room and flopped onto the sofa, almost spilling the precious contents of my glass.
I thought back to the conversation I’d had with Dermott the day after his revelation. He had turned up on my doorstep with a huge bunch of flowers and a heartfelt apology for vomiting his emotions all over me. But his resolve was set firm. Although he was sorry for how he had presented me with the news, he was still offering me a new start with him. And I would have been crazy if I totally dismissed it. He was a decent guy. Handsome, sexy, and sweet. The sex between us had always been good, but in all honesty the feelings just were not there. I had tried to explain this to him.
“But Kelly, you could learn to love me. Maybe I’m not the man for you right now because you’re still hung up on that arsehole—”
“Not helping, Dermott.”
“Sorry… sorry, I’m just jealous and bitter. But think about it. We have so many of the important things in common. We understand each other’s work life. We get on so well. We’re great friends. I think you’re fucking gorgeous, and I get the feeling you don’t find me utterly repulsive. Can’t we just give it a try? See how things go?”
I sighed deeply. “Dermott, I’ll be living over on Skye and you’ll be here. How the hell would it work?” And why was I sounding like I was actually considering this again?
He stepped toward me and cupped my face in his large hands. “We would make it work. I would do anything for you, Kelly. Anything.” His voice had lowered to a lust-filled whisper as he peered into my eyes and moved his face closer to mine. His hot breath tickled my lips and I locked my eyes on his, desperately wanting to feel something that would mean I could move on. Forget Cain.
“Long distance is just so… hard,” I croaked.
He brushed his lips against mine gently and ran his nose along my cheek. “We would make it work,” he repeated hopefully. “Please say you’ll think about it. About us.”
I closed my eyes and nodded. “I’ll think about us, Dermott, but I can’t promise anything.”
“I know and that�
��s fine. Seeing as you won’t let me help you move, I may just turn up on your doorstep with flowers.”
I opened my eyes and smiled. “Maybe call first?”
He shrugged. “Maybe I will. Maybe I won’t.”
Back in the present, I took a gulp of my wine and stared out of the window into the diamond-speckled night sky. I wondered if Cain was safe—or had the rival bike gang found him? My heart stuttered in my chest at the thought of his not being alive, and my eyes began to sting. The probability was, however, that I wouldn’t find out either way.
Later on I took myself off to bed with a heaviness in my heart that I desperately hoped would be gone by morning. Esme was due to come up, and I wanted to make the most of the visit from my best friend.
Snuggling under my duvet, I lay in silence in my new and unfamiliar surroundings, suddenly feeling wide awake. And the problem with being wide awake was that every noise freaked me out and every thought was of Cain and me together…
I opened my eyes and Cain was lying on top of me, kissing my neck as he glided his cock in and out of my slick, wet pussy. I gasped and darted my eyes around the room, suddenly completely disorientated. It was my new room… but what was Cain doing here?
“It’s okay, baby. You’re dreaming.”
My heart sank at his words, but I could smell him and feel him deep inside of me, so I doubted my subconscious mind anyway. “Unh… Are you sure?” I gripped his body, relishing the rhythm of our bodies’ movements and held onto him as tightly as I could—pulling him deeper still—as I began my climb toward the ecstasy only he could bring.
He groaned carnally but nodded. “I wanted to tell you… you should move on. Dermott is offering you a life that I can’t give you. He loves you… I always knew it. You should be with him. He deserves you, Kelly. You should be with someone who can give you all the things you need. I’m not that man.” The pain in his voice made my heart shatter.
Bad Company: Company of Sinners MC #1 Page 26