Surrender lost souls mc.., p.11
Surrender (Lost Souls MC Book 2), page 11
“You really are an ass.”
Cupping her face, I kissed her long and slow, allowing myself the luxury of her soft pillowy lips. “You’ll fall in love with it. I can promise you that.”
“Always so sure of yourself.”
“I’m sure of you,” I said, grabbing her discarded hoodie and wrapping it around her shoulders. “What you crave deep down is what I can give you. What I’m willing to give you. What I want to give you.”
“And what exactly is it that you think I want?” Her voice was soft as she cuddled into me, seeking my warmth.
“You want to let yourself go and feel safe.” Raine didn’t say anything. “You’re safe with me. I will protect you, Peaches. However I can, and I won’t stop.” She kissed my neck softly. “And you want to experience everything you’ve denied yourself for years. You want the three of us to give it to you. I don’t like Kai, and I certainly don’t trust him, but I get the appeal. I said I’d try with him, and that means I’m in until he gives me a reason not to be.” She made a little sound, and I wasn’t sure if she was crying, but she held me tighter. “And you love to be praised. I’ve figured out another one of your kinks, and I’m going to keep finding them, and I’m going to fuck you in all the ways you crave.”
“You confuse me, Jace,” she said softly, and I chuckled.
“I confuse myself, so we’re even.”
“I’ll move.” She went to get up, but I held her tight.
“Oh no, you don’t. We have another hour left in this ride. That gives me lots of time to have you again, and this time, I’m going to tan your ass every time you disobey me.”
I smiled as she shivered.
Oh yeah, I was falling for her, fast and hard, like I was jumping off the tall diving board. This was why I didn’t stay. I knew myself too well. Avro and now Raine were filling up my heart. If Kai came at us again in any way, I’d be prepared, but I prayed that it never came to that.
Raine’s body relaxed, and her breathing deepened as she napped. I really did have a thing for being needed and kissed the top of her head.
I grabbed my phone and found the latest text from Allen, who was still freaking out over me turning the plane around and missing the interview he’d set up. I was purposely ignoring my bandmates, who were just as pissed off. They were used to me going rogue, but even I didn’t miss concerts or interviews. That was money out of our pockets and looked terrible without a good excuse. I had a great excuse, but they wouldn’t see it that way. I did have an idea, though.
J: You said you wanted a good story to sell before the awards show. I have one for you.
A: I’m not speaking to you.
I smirked at his response. I could easily picture him pouting somewhere, half wasted, looking like he’d been drug in from a back alley by a tom cat.
J: I’ll make the last concert on the list. Re-schedule the interview with my apologies that it was an emergency, and I have a date for the awards.
A: Please tell me it’s Taylor Swift
I glared at my phone.
J: I’ve told you a million times we’re just friends.
A: I can keep hoping. Fine, who is it, and don’t say some cousin of yours. I can’t spin that, no matter how hard I try.
My face screwed up as I stared at the message.
J: No, she’s not a family member. What kind of fucked up question is that anyway? How much have you been drinking?
A: Lots, I deal with you daily. You’re giving me a fucking ulcer Jace.
J: Her name is Raine Eastman, and she is not rich or famous or a princess, before you fucking ask.
A: You mean the manager from the bar? What good is she?
I ground my teeth together as I stared at the question. I couldn’t tell if he was purposely trying to be a dick, but the implied tone was pissing me off.
J: What do you mean?”
A: I mean, if she has no pull, clout, or workable drama, then what good is she?
I squeezed my phone tight as I glared at the screen even though Allen couldn’t see me. This was what I hated. I loved the music, I loved writing and recording and even singing for the fans, but this bullshit was what I was sick of. My fingers hovered over the keypad as I thought of what to say. How did I explain Raine to him and not mention Avro or Kai?
J: She’s the girl that I love.
Did I love her? I didn’t know yet, but it felt like that was where we were heading and what I needed to say to shut Allen up. There was no immediate response. The little dots appeared and disappeared multiple times. I couldn’t believe that I had just typed that to Allen. I couldn’t believe I typed it at all. Raine sighed, and I could feel her breathing even out as she slept in my arms.
A: I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how this happened, and I don’t know if this is a good thing or not. I mean, I thought the show you did there was the first time you met.
J: Of course, it’s a fucking good thing. Raine is coming with me to the awards show, and I don’t need to explain myself.
A: Not to be a downer here, but you better have some answers prepared because there will be a ton of questions, and they won’t just be coming for you. They’ll go after her if they sense she’s the weak link in the story.
Allen wasn’t wrong about that. It meant I needed to prep Raine before she spoke to any reporter or interviewers without me by her side.
J: I’ll make sure she is prepared. I want the penthouse booked at the same hotel I stayed at last time. Put the room under Mr. Beck.
Allen knew that I liked to fuck Avro, but he didn’t know just how close we were or what his last name was. This way, Avro could book in and get all the keys, and we’d never even have to put my name on a room.
A: Who the hell is that? Do you suddenly have an alter ego?
J: Just do it.
A: Fine.
J: Oh, and Allen. If you dig up shit on Raine and try to exploit it, I will fire you. Not even a moment of hesitation, I mean it.
I really wanted to say that I’d destroy him, and they’d never find his body, but you just didn’t put shit like that in a text. At least not if you were smart.
A: Why are you always making my life difficult, Jace?
J: It’s just my nature.
I quickly left the chat with Allen and found the group chat with the band that had completely blown up. Sighing, I started answering questions. Glancing down at Raine in my arms, I knew I’d do it all over again.
Kaivan
Holding my side, I stomped around the far corner of the clubhouse.
“What the fuck do you mean it’s just you guys? Where the hell is Chase?” I looked around at the added fifty-two people and ground my teeth together. We were up to a whopping eighty-two since Sparky was now gator bait with the rest of the trash.
Tanner bit off another piece of the banana he was eating, and I was fucking tempted to jam the thing down his throat when he winked at one of the sweetbutts and shoved the entire thing in his mouth. Of course, now the guy chewed like a fucking cow with a mouthful of cud and gave me a view of the yellow mush moving around his open gob. He was giving me flashbacks to prison and making me want to vomit. If I did, I was aiming it at him.
“Just what I said, he didn’t come back with us. Shit is pretty much wrapped up, but he still had some crap to sort out with Keenan.” Tanner lifted his shoulders and let them drop.
“Hey sweetheart,” Tanner yelled and pointed at the couch with every one of the sweetbutts occupying a lap. Both Mannix and I rolled our eyes when they all pointed at themselves. “Yeah, sure, any of you. Someone get me more food, and I want a bottle of whiskey. Oh! And one of you better be ready to fuck me soon.”
My hand clenched as I fantasized about knocking this guy the fuck out. Had I been this annoying at twenty-two? Naw, I was already four years into my sentence and a hardened, miserable prick by twenty-two.
“Can we focus,” I asked, glaring at Tanner’s smiling face. He’d already chugged a few drinks and was more annoying and immature than ever.
“I am. On my stomach. Next will be my cock, 'cause it’s hungry too,” Tanner said. He took a swig of the latest beer before letting out a loud belch that sounded like his name before pointing at one of the girls.
Luckily Mannix stepped in before I decided that a couple of cracked ribs were no big deal and beat the shit out of Tanner.
Mannix grabbed Tanner by the arm.
“Hey, what are you doing man?” Tanner whined as Mannix marched him off to the meeting room and away from the other guys. Roach and I followed.
I kept looking out of the corner of my eye to see if anyone was more interested than they should be, but I didn’t see anything unusual. Didn’t mean shit, as I found out, but I felt like I needed to interrogate all those left here while Chase was away. I bitched about Chase, fuck, I didn’t even like the guy, but it took next-level scum to switch clubs and do what Sparky had planned. If I left, it would be to lay my pale white ass on a beach somewhere for the rest of my breathing days.
Once inside the meeting room reserved for church sessions, I closed the door so no one else could eavesdrop.
“Where the fuck is Beast? He wouldn’t let you treat me like this,” Tanner complained as Mannix released his arm.
“Beast had other things to take care of, and my guess would be that he didn’t think you’d act like a newbie and force me to drag you in here,” Mannix drawled, crossing his arms over his chest. I bit my tongue to keep from laughing. Being called a newbie or a bootlicker was a huge insult to anyone in the club once you’d been here for over a year.
Tanner had been a breath of fresh air after being in prison for ten years, but I quickly learned that the immature and fun side got old when that was all he ever did. He was always looking for trouble or getting drunk and doing shit that would normally get him punched in the face or a bullet between the eyes. Chase was the only reason the other members held back.
I was shocked that Chase hadn’t given Tanner his one percenter patch regardless of how he acted. It gave me hope for our Prez.
Beast had gone home for the night. I couldn’t blame him. All the dead lying around was bound to stir up memories of his wife. As tough as he showed himself to be, I knew he was still hurting. Raine had only been back in my life a short time, and I couldn’t imagine losing her. After years of marriage and the kind of love Beast and Jaz had…the guy was lucky he could put a foot in front of the other.
Didn’t mean I went any easier on him. Beast would’ve found that disrespectful, and someone needed to make decisions with Chase gone. Beast had volunteered himself, and that came with assholes like me pointing out shit, such as we were vulnerable. If I didn’t point out the crap, people died. We got lucky tonight. I’d gotten lucky, but I didn’t like luck. It tended to shit in your face and then drink your beer.
“Did I piss in your fucking beer, Mannix?”
“Tanner cut the attitude. There is no one in here for you to show off for. I need you to focus on the questions. What is the ETA for Chase and the rest of the crew? We now have multiple bodies to clean up, cops to keep away, and more than ever, we need to build an alliance with a local club. We have a huge target painted on our backs. So, tell me what you know,” Mannix said, his voice as calm and firm as ever.
“Look, I don’t know why you’re all in such a twist. I’m back, and so are some of the men. Chase will be back soon enough,” Tanner said, crossing his arms. “It’s not like he gave me an itinerary.”
“Tanner, for fucks sake. We’re still breathing because you took them by surprise when you came back, and they thought the entire crew was home. The Vipers have ninety-seven members more than us at the best of times,” I said.
“A few less now,” Tanner mocked and sat down laughing.
“Do you ever take anything seriously?” I growled. I lifted my T-shirt to show off the bandages. “I almost fucking died. Does that not register with you?”
“Fuck Snake, you can remove that stick from your ass any time,” Tanner said. “Maybe we need to get you laid.”
I looked at Mannix. “I’m going to kill him.” I reached for my gun, but Roach grabbed my arm.
“You could, but we all know I’m Chase’s favorite. He’d send the whole club after you.” Tanner smiled and reminded me way too much of the jerks I used to beat the shit out of in school. I was tempted to do it again now. Ribs be damned.
“The only reason you’re his favorite is cause he sees you as a charity case. You’re the piece of shit he pulled out of the garbage. Ever wonder why you need a babysitter Tanner? Why you never get sent on important jobs alone? Why do you think you don’t have your patch yet?” I growled out. “Even the man you follow around like a pathetic dog knows you’re not worthy.”
“Fuck you, man!” Tanner burst from the seat like he’d been ejected and was in my face a moment later. Our noses touched as he tried to intimidate me.
Ten years in prison had done many things to me, but one thing it had done right was to teach me to shut off my humanity. That place and those that thought they could control me taught me how to kill without remorse. A deadly calm washed over my body, and I needed to get away from Tanner, or there was no telling what I’d do. It would certainly be something I couldn’t come back from with Chase, even if the rest of the club would cheer. Roach touched my shoulder, and I remembered I had something else to live for. Someone else, and I took a deep breath.
“Both of you knock it off and sit down,” Mannix ordered.
Tanner backed off first with Mannix’s meaty hand firmly on his arm. “You too, Snake. Sit the fuck down.”
“Sitting hurts,” I said and wandered over to the wall to give myself space from Tanner. I didn’t normally give a shit about whatever crazy antics he got up to, but this shit was getting annoying fast.
“Do you live in the real world, Tanner,” I asked, and he crossed his arms and glared at me.
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“You lack the ability to understand what is real life and what is one of your video games. We lost people tonight. People that someone loved, people that Beast is planning a service for, and you’re acting like this is all a big fucking party.” I pointed out toward the clubhouse. “You’re more worried about getting fucked.”
“It’s how we deal with shit. All those guys out there are acting the same way. I’m not doing anything different.”
“But we’re not out there. We are in here asking you a few simple questions, and you’re being evasive.” I shook my head. He just didn’t get it. Then again, anyone that would light a Molotov cocktail and toss it in a room full of chemicals while we were all in there was a case in point that he couldn’t see past the end of his nose. We were all fucking lucky he didn’t kill us that day, and the fucker only laughed like we’d regenerate.
“I’m telling you, Snake, you’re too tense. Just have a drink and relax.”
“Don’t bother wasting your breath,” Roach whispered. He was right. There was no point trying to explain something to someone that had no interest in seeing the bigger picture.
Tanner was shrugging off the very real possibility of another attack and us losing more people, all while grabbing his cock and saying bring it on. It was a sure way to get us all killed. I did dangerous shit all the time, but this was different. I’d never been this cavalier with my attitude. I spent ten years in prison looking over my shoulder and protecting those that would protect me. I had looked out for Raine before that, and now I looked out for those in this MC. I would’ve thought that a kid that came from a shit start—like me—would have more respect for the home he’d found. It was obvious that he’d been spoiled, and I had no intention of feeding into that. I almost died tonight, and with that came clarity.
“Everyone take a fucking breath. We’re all on the same side,” Mannix said.
“Are we though,” Roach asked, shocking me. He stood by my side, his arms crossed and his stare fixed on the two men. “Snake was almost killed by one of our own. Someone we thought we could trust.” He pointed toward the door, the sound of music and laughter getting louder.
“We have no way of knowing how many more men were pulled into other clubs. Snake is right. We need order. We need our men and our prez back. We have no idea how many are sitting out there right now waiting like sleeper agents to be activated. What’s next? Slit our throats in the night?”
Tanner rubbed at his chin, and I could tell by the smile on his face he was still thinking about the shootout and the fun he had killing the Vipers. Or the girls he was getting later. Tanner rolled his eyes and made a scoffing sound like Roach was overreacting.
“Give it up, Roach. No one wants to slit your useless throat,” Tanner said. “And so what if we lost some people, we always do. It’s just the way it is.”
If I weren’t leaning against the wall, I would’ve fallen over when Mannix punched Tanner so hard he flew off the chair he was sitting on and crashed to the floor in a heap.
“What the fuck? Why the hell did you do that?” Tanner growled as he rubbed his face.
“Do not disrespect our fallen members, not ever. They were part of this family, and they deserve to be remembered with honor.” Mannix roared. I’d never seen the man so angry, and his presence filled the room as his stare stayed firmly on Tanner.
“Inside this room is all business Tanner and we are meeting about real issues. If you can’t handle that or the responsibility that comes with your potential position in this club, I’ll speak to Chase when he gets back about removing you for good.” Mannix placed his hands on his hips. “I will not put up with any more of this crap from you,” Mannix said.
