Ringer: Perdition MC Shifter Book 1

by BE Kelly

  “You can’t just let him back into your life Sophie,” Reaper said. “He’ll fuck it up, just like he did in Texas.”

  “Ringer didn’t fuck up my life, Reaper. He asked me for just one night and I gave that to him.” She rubbed her belly. “This baby is not a fuck up,” she spat.

  “Of course not,” Beth agreed.

  “One night?” Reaper shouted. “You were reduced to just one night. Why the hell would he ask you that?”

  “Because I wasn’t willing to give him more,” Sophie countered. “I pushed Ringer away for as long as I could, out of respect for you, Reaper. I knew how you felt about the guy and I also knew that getting involved with Ringer would hurt you. That wasn’t what I wanted but I won’t deny my feelings for him anymore just to spare your own. I’m in love with him, Reaper.”

  “No,” he growled. “You can’t be in love with that asshole, Sophie. He’s not a good guy.”

  “Says you but I see him in a different light. Don’t you remember when we used to all be friends? We grew up together for crap’s sake, Reap.” Her brother looked like he was ready to tear someone apart but Sophie refused to back down from him or his ridiculous accusations.

  “Maybe we can all just sit down and talk about this, calmly.” Beth was always the voice of reason between Sophie and Reaper. When they would get into a spat, even at work, Beth was the one stepping in to smooth things over between the two of them.

  “I can’t,” Sophie said. “I have to go find Ringer. I’ve made a mistake and I need to fix it before it’s too late.”

  “Soph,” Reaper called after her. She didn’t bother to turn back. Sophie knew exactly what she’d see in her older brother’s eyes and she’d just deal with his disappointment another day. Now, she had to go tell the father of her baby that she was in love with him and beg him for another chance.

  Ringer

  Ringer wasn’t sure why he didn’t just head home. Maybe he wasn’t in the mood to rehash Sophie’s rejection while sitting all alone in his house, drinking beer. At least he’d have company while he drank if he headed into Perdition. Not many guys were still left by the time he got there. The usual suspects sat up at the bar, trying to pick up the few females who were looking for some company. As soon as he walked through the fucking doors, Santiago Rios was on his ass about missing church. As a prospect, he was expected to show up to all the meetings and missing tonight’s wasn’t his finest decision. Ringer stared down the club’s Prez and shook his head.

  “I had something unexpected come up, Rios,” Ringer said. It wasn’t a lie. How could he have even imagined that he was walking into Reckoning to talk to Reaper about Perdition business, only to find out Sophie was there and that she was carrying his baby?

  “Did you talk to your old pal Reaper about our situation?” Rios asked. His Prez had sent him into Reckoning for the sole purpose of finding out some intel on a new MC that had shown up in New Orleans. It wasn’t usual for a new club to pop up out of the blue and everyone in Perdition thought the new club was suspicious. Rios worried the rival gang was trafficking or worse, there to take Perditions female shifters. According to the guys in the club, females were in high demand in other parts of the country. Female pups have become rarer and male packs were hunting them down, wanting to ensure the survival of their alpha’s lineage.

  “No,” Ringer admitted. “Like I said, something came up.”

  “Fuck, Ringer,” Rios growled. “I sent you out for intel and you come back with excuses. Care to tell me what was so important you forgot what I sent you out to do?” The front door swung open and Sophie bound into the bar, drawing Ringer’s attention.

  “Shit,” he growled.

  “You know her?” Rios asked.

  “Yeah,” Ringer admitted. “Give me a minute?” he asked. Rios looked Sophie over and then nodded.

  “I’ll be back in my office. Come find me when you are finished,” Rios ordered.

  “Will do,” Ringer agreed. Although, he had a good feeling that he’d never be done with the sexy little blond who was now staring him down, mean-mugging him. A few of the guys at the bar took notice of Sophie and that was the last thing he needed. He hadn’t made it known that she was his and maybe that’s the way she wanted things. She did say that she needed time. So, why in the hell was she showing up at his bar? He met her halfway across the room, in the middle of the dance floor.

  “Soph,” he whispered. “You forget something?”

  “Yes,” she breathed. “Well, it’s more of me coming to my senses than remembering something.” She smiled up at him and for just a minute, he let himself feel hope. That hope got him into trouble the first time Sophie had let him into her life. Feeling that way about her now was a dangerous game for him to be playing considering she held his entire future in her hands.

  “What did you come to your senses about, Soph?” he asked.

  “Hey, Ringer, who’s your friend?” Gray asked. He was one of the new probates in the club. Gray had patched in just before Ringer got back to town and he was one of the older shifters of the pack. Honestly, the guy was only about forty, but his hair had started turning a salt and pepper color that women seemed to lose their minds for. He usually had to beat the barflies off with a stick and watching him circling Sophie now just pissed Ringer off.

  “She’s not my fucking friend, Gray,” Ringer growled.

  “I’m not?” Sophie asked, making matters worse. The last thing Ringer wanted was for any of the guys still lingering around the bar to believe was that Sophie was just his friend. They wouldn’t stop until one of them took her to the back corner and made her theirs. It was kind of a club ritual and one that Ringer wasn’t sure he was very fond of. It was the pack way though. When the shifter club members wanted to make a woman their mate, they would take her to the back of the bar, bend her over and fuck her—right there for everyone to witness. It had become such a common practice that most of the guys didn’t even stop drinking long enough to take notice of who was fucking whom back there. The only time the guys stopped to pay attention was when their Prez, Rios, found his mate. Their Prez put on quite the show, taking his woman, Aylen, for the first time and men stood around them, shamelessly watching.

  Aylen Nez was supposed to be a little present for his brother, Trace. He was the pack’s beta and honestly, tensions rode high between the two brothers. Rios wanted to do something nice for his brother and when he had heard of a woman who was not only a shifter but a seer too, Rios had her kidnapped and brought to him. Aylen showed up and turned all their lives upside down. She ended up being related to one of Reaper and Sophie’s friends and when Reap showed up to Perdition, Ringer was no longer able to fly under the radar. As soon as Rios scented Aylen, they realized that they were mates, which only drove a wedge deeper between Rios and his brother, Trace. Tensions always ran high when shifters were in the mix but Ringer’s new club seemed to know how to bring the drama.

  Ringer pointed at her, “You are not my friend, Soph. You are my—” He wasn’t sure how to finish his sentence. When he left her at Reckoning about a half-hour ago, she told him she needed time to think about things. But now she was here and fuck—there was that damn hope again.

  Sophie smiled and crossed her arms over her chest. Ringer didn’t miss the way Gray looked her body over. “Don’t,” Ringer warned.

  Gray chuckled, “Don’t what, man?”

  “Don’t look at my woman that way,” Ringer growled.

  “Oh, so now she’s your woman?” Gray challenged. “A minute ago, you weren’t able to finish your thought but now, you’re sure she’s yours?”

  “She’s mine,” Ringer snapped. “And the pup inside of her is mine too.” Ringer felt his inner wolf raging inside of him and he backed down.

  “You know you can just let him out, right?” Gray asked. “You’re like the rest of us man. We don’t just shift with the full moon. We can change from man to wolf any time we want. Fuck, Ringer—you have so much to learn. Stop being
a stubborn ass and just let us help you. That’s what a pack does.”

  “Wait, you can shift anytime you want?” Sophie asked Gray. The guy nodded and moved into Sophie’s space, crowding her.

  “You wanna come back to my place and play with my wolf, Baby?” he asked.

  “N-no,” she stuttered. Ringer stepped between the two of them and Gray had the nerve to laugh again.

  “Sorry, Honey,” he drawled. “I’m messing with Ringer here more than you. You make it too easy man,” Gray accused. “And, to answer your question, Darlin’, yes. Shifters can change form whenever we want. Ringer here has been listening to all the wrong assholes and for some reason, he believes he can only change during a full moon.”

  “It’s true,” Ringer defended. “I’ve done the research,” he said.

  Gray nodded, “So, you’re taking Google's word over your brothers’? We’ve all been trying to help you through this man. Stop looking shit up on the internet and just ask.” Maybe Gray was right but Ringer wasn’t sure he wanted him to be. Shifting during a full moon was bad enough. He would get his supplies ready and lock himself away until the cycle completed. Ringer was so afraid that he was going to hurt someone when he shifted. But, he also saw how the guys in the club shifted from wolf to human in the blink of an eye. They would go out to hunt animals and run the nearby woods, blowing off some steam. He always wondered what it would feel like to be a part of that—to hunt and run with his new brothers. His fear was the only thing holding him back because his inner wolf wanted nothing more than to stretch his legs.

  “Wow,” Sophie breathed. “You wouldn’t have to lock yourself away, Ringer,” she said. “You’d be able to shift whenever you want.”

  “What if I’m not the same Soph? You know, after I shift—what happens if I hurt someone? Locking myself away is safe. I won’t take chances. Especially not now with you and the baby in the picture.” Ringer stopped talking as if he suddenly realized that he was presuming they wanted to be in the picture. What if Sophie had thought about it and had already decided she didn’t want him in her life?

  “That is if you want to be in the picture, Soph,” he quickly amended.

  Sophie slipped her hand into his and nodded. “I do, Ringer,” she said.

  “Who’s the new woman?” Jackass asked. He got his name honestly and was one of the founding members of the club. He walked over to where the three of them were talking practically pouring his beer down the front of poor Sophie. She yelped and tried to wipe it away, only making her white t-shirt she was wearing over her sexy little yoga pants, more see-through. Ringer pulled her hands free from her shirt and held them to her sides, looking her body over, seeing just about every square inch of her beautiful breasts. He nearly swallowed his tongue when he realized Sophie wasn’t wearing a bra. Ringer could tell that Gray and Jackass could see the same silhouette of her impressive breasts and quickly pulled her against his body to cover their views.

  “Fuck,” Ringer swore. “You guys mind giving her some space?” Jackass took a step closer to Sophie, pouring more beer onto both her and Ringer.

  “She with you?” Jackass slurred. “I like the way she smells. It’s a mix of human and wolf—strange,” he said.

  “Not strange,” Ringer argued. “She’s a human but she’s carrying my pup.”

  “Well shit,” Jackass swore. “I miss out on everything good that comes in here.”

  “Maybe if you weren’t always drunk,” Gray said. “And not such a—” he looked the other guy up and down and then smiled at him. Ringer knew that Gray was going to give the guy some shit and they’d end up sulking over a beer or two until they both felt better. “A Jackass,” Gray finished. Jackass narrowed his eyes at Gray and for just a minute, Ringer was sure he was going to throw a punch. Jackass was about the same age as Gray but he was bigger and capable of taking a guy apart with his bare hands if he wanted. Ringer had witnessed the guy in action and he was one scary mother fucker.

  “How about you guys take this outside,” Ringer said. “I need to get my girl some dry clothes and talk to Rios before heading out. I don’t have time to deal with your lover’s spat,” he teased.

  Jackass crowded up against him, “Maybe you should step outside with us, boy,” Jackass spat.

  “I’m good, man,” Ringer said. He could feel Sophie’s heart beating against his chest. He could smell the fear that ramped up inside of her and when she shivered against his body, he softly cursed.

  “You’re cold, Baby,” he said. Ringer pulled his shirt off, liking the way Sophie’s eyes followed his action. “Here,” he said. “Put this on.” He slipped his shirt over her head and helped her into it. Compared to her shirt, it wasn’t as wet.

  “But, you’ll be cold,” Sophie protested.

  “Naw,” he said. “I run a little hot now. You know, since I was turned. How about you go on into the lady’s room and take off your wet shirt. I’ll be right back out. I just need to check back with Rios and then we can head out.”

  Sophie nodded and looked around the bar for the ladies' room. “I won’t be too long,” she promised.

  He watched as she slipped into the bathroom and turned to face Gray and Jackass. “You two fuckers leave her alone,” he said. “Either of you lays a finger on my girl and I’ll make sure you lose one of your senses.” Gray shook his head and chuckled at Ringer. Jackass looked like he wanted to argue with him but Ringer walked away before he got the chance.

  Sophie

  Sophie took her time in the lady’s room not wanting to face the other shifters in Ringer’s club by herself. She had so many questions to ask but she wasn’t sure where to even begin. By the time she finished up changing, she went back to the bar to find Ringer waiting for her. He looked as nervous as she felt. As soon as she joined him by the front entrance, he reached out and took her hand. That was one thing she always loved about Ringer—he was always touching her. Even when they were on the run, hiding out in Texas, she tried to push him away at every turn. But Ringer never let her feel alone. He was constantly touching her, holding her, and reassuring her that everything was going to be all right.

  “So,” she said, clearing her throat. “What’s the plan here, Ringer?” Maybe she was jumping the gun, but Sophie wanted to know the game plan. She had spent so much of her life doing what everyone else expected of her and now that she had found her voice, she didn’t want to lose that control. When her father died, she helped her brother take care of their mom. When she passed, Sophie was lost. She wasn’t sure what her role was supposed to be anymore. She didn’t know which path to follow or how to be her own person. Honestly, it wasn’t until Ringer convinced her to run away with him to Texas, that she began to figure that out. That short time they spent outside of New Orleans gave her time to figure out who she wanted to be. Now, she was going to be a mother and that scared the shit out of her since she had no clue how to play that role.

  Ringer leaned into her body and gently kissed her lips. “What do you want the plan to be?” he asked. “What do you want, Sophie?” He had asked her that same question the night that she agreed to jump into bed with him. He knew her better than just about anyone. He was there for so much of her life that Ringer could see her struggle with trying to find her way.

  “I want you, Ringer,” she admitted. “I don’t know why I told you I needed time. That was all a bunch of bullshit.”

  Ringer chuckled, “What helped make up your mind so quickly?” he asked.

  “Our kid,” she said, rubbing her belly. “I know this is going to sound crazy but I was asking the baby what we should do and he told me.”

  “Well, I knew our little guy is a genius but that’s pretty hard to believe. He’s talking already?” Ringer asked.

  “Not exactly,” she said. “I asked him if we should give his daddy another chance and I know this sounds crazy, but I swear he moved. The doctor said it’s too soon to feel him, but I swear this kid moved.”

  “Doesn’t sound crazy at al
l, Honey,” Ringer said. “I felt the same thing every time I touched your belly, back at Reckoning. Hell, maybe it’s because he’s part shifter—who knows.”

  “But, we don’t know if he’s part shifter yet,” she reminded.

  “No, but I think that Gray had a point. Maybe I need to stop going this alone and ask for help,” Ringer said.

  “You trust the guys in your club?” she asked.

  “Mostly—yeah,” he agreed.

  “Okay, then we’ll start to figure this out, for our son’s sake,” Sophie said. It was a start and sooner or later, they were going to have to come to terms with the fact that they might be having a shifter wolf pup. They’d need all the help they could get.

  “Is that all you want, Soph?” Ringer questioned. “To figure out this shifter stuff with me?”

  “No,” she said. “How about you take me back to my place and I’ll show you exactly what I want?” Ringer pulled her against his half-naked body and she ran her hands up over his pecks loving the way they bunched and flexed under her fingers.

  “Deal,” he breathed.

  Sophie left her car at Tito’s and let Ringer drive her home. She had second, third and fourth thoughts about what they were about to do but there was no way Sophie would back down from what she wanted this time. Having to consider that there was a baby in the mix now made all her worries and fears ramp-up to new levels.

  Ringer reached for her hand and she slipped hers into his. “You good?” he asked almost as if he could read her thoughts.

  “No,” she admitted. “What if we’re jumping into something that won’t work out between the two of us? What happens to the baby if that happens?”

  “Hold that thought,” he said. Ringer pulled around the corner into her tiny community and back to her driveway, cutting his engine. He unbuckled her seatbelt and pulled her onto his lap. “We don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for, Soph,” he promised. Ringer framed her face with his big hands and studied her as if trying to read her expressions. “Just talk to me.”