Surrender lost souls mc.., p.25
Surrender (Lost Souls MC Book 2), page 25
“Hey, you good that I’m working with you today,” Julian asked as he stepped up beside me.
I gave him a smile that I hoped came off warm and genuine. “Yes, of course, you’re a fantastic partner. I’ve seen you working with everyone.”
“True, I am gifted,” Julian said and then chuckled, but I didn’t get the feeling he meant it as a joke.
“Alright, places, everyone. We are going to run through with lighting and sound all day. I want this to feel like the real thing,” Coach said.
By the time the first half of the performance was done, my uncertainty about working with Julian had eased. He was not only a great partner, but we were completely in sync with every movement, a perfect mirror of one another, and Coach was calling out how beautiful everything looked. I wondered if Maurice would have a spot to come back to.
My adrenaline spiked as I climbed the tall ladder to the top of the platform, where I would perform the trick that was being advertised all around Vegas. It was what was on the posters. The timing had to be perfect, or I would plunge to the stage below. There was a net lying on the floor that the audience couldn’t see. It had an emergency pull in it that if something went wrong, it would snap up and into position to catch me. The first test run to make sure it was working had been terrifying.
Reaching the top, I waved to the fake crowd and smiled before grabbing the fly bar. I knew the movements in my sleep. Julian signaled that he was ready, and we were off. The amount and type of flips before I caught Julian’s arms were what made the sequence so dangerous. We took the theme of ‘death defying’ to a whole new level, and the platform sat twice as high as any other show in the world.
Performers used the ladder and bars on either side to continue to perform as I flew, their vibrant costumes shining under the bright lights. The first release and catch went off without a hitch, and Julian smiled and counted down the release to return to my bar. The next two were equally smooth. I was tight and on point.
We pretended to smile at the crowd again as we caught our breath, and the performer acting as Ringmaster called for silence. We took our cue and once more sailed through the air. I released my bar and did the tight twists that made me look like a spinning bullet before stretching my arms wide in a Superman pose.
Julian was right on cue, and I locked my eyes on his arms, but in the split second, before he caught me, he moved his arms just enough that I missed my grab. One hand missed completely, but the other managed to link the tips of our fingers.
I lifted my gaze to his eyes, and he smirked subtly as his eyes remained wide like he was surprised, “Oops.”
There was this moment of hesitation as his finger relaxed, and I began to fall. Julian watched as I plunged to the floor, and the voice in my head screamed that this couldn’t be happening.
A burst of fear had adrenaline pumping through my system, and my arms and legs pinwheeled like that would somehow make me fly. I remembered the safety net and relaxed into the position to land safely. I saw the worried faces of the other performers as I dropped like a stone.
Sure enough, I hit the net and bounced high into the air. Like we were taught, I stood up to land on my feet for the second bounce, ready to scream at the top of my lungs what Julian had just done. As my feet touched the net the second time, one side snapped, and that was all it took. The momentum of a twenty-foot bounce and the odd jerk as the safety line broke dropped me at an odd angle onto my left leg.
There was no pain at first, just the sound of a pop and then tearing as my knee bent one way but my body the other as I landed in a heap. I could hear people screaming and shouting and one of the paramedics that we always had on hand telling me not to move. Unable to help myself, I looked down and didn’t understand what I saw. Why could I see my heel? Either my leg or spine was backward, and I knew I was in bad shape.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Julian running over as if he was concerned, and I screamed and pointed at him.
“You did this. You’re evil,” I hollered as loud as I could.
Fake tears trailed from his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Avro. It was an accident, I swear,” he professed over and over, but I knew better.
That one day, that one man, and that one decision had changed the course of my life forever.
Bending over, I touched the half-moon line and winced. Sometimes I wished I’d told Jace the truth, told him it wasn’t an accident, but I knew what he would do. I’d seen him do it to my uncle, and there wasn’t a doubt in my mind he would kill for me again, and I didn’t want that for him, me, or our souls. No, it was better this way.
I wanted Julian to pay, but the dark hatred I felt for the man scared me, and I decided to move forward with my life rather than live in the past. As it turned out, I could’ve gotten a position with the same group but a different show when my knee was healed, but by then, I’d met Raine.
Laying down on the bench, I went through the first half of my arm workout and then sat up and finished it off. I felt better by the time I was done and was tempted to do more, but the others would be up soon, and I wanted breakfast well underway or done. I hated people staring over my shoulder while I cooked, and Jace loved to do it because he knew it would annoy the shit out of me.
Wandering down the hall, I turned into the kitchen and stopped walking as I tried to process what I’d just seen. Taking a step back, then another, I stared into the living room, my eyes searching the corners like this was a great prank. But, it wasn’t hiding in any of the corners.
“Jace,” I called out. “Jace, can you come here?” I yelled and could hear more than just one set of footsteps running down the stairs.
“What is it? What’s wrong? Is it your knee,” Jace asked as he looked me over like a worried hen. Raine was next as she stared at my face and then down at my body. They were acting as if I’d just been shot.
“Stop, both of you.” I pointed into the living room. “Where the fuck is the couch?”
“Un-fucking-believable.” We all looked at Kai, who shrugged as he ran his hand through his hair. “Fucking aliens.”
What did one do with that answer other than blink?
Kaivan
Killing Wilder wasn’t an option, but fuck me, I wanted to.
Avro had a meltdown like I didn’t think he was even capable of. He searched outside and in the garage, thinking this had to be a practical joke, and of course, I was the top suspect.
I lost track of how many times I said, ‘I didn’t touch your couch,’ and ‘What the hell would I even do with it?’ Jace checked the cameras, and I covered my eyes, thinking for sure they would see me talking to a random guy in their home and just letting him stay. That would take some explaining. I mean, how the hell did you explain Wilder?
But Wilder had a camera scrambler or some other weird government tech shit on him. Or he scrubbed the three hours and seven minutes he was here because it was nothing but white snow, which set Jace off. I had to admit. It was nice not being the one freaking out for a change.
Just when we thought Avro was calming down, he noticed the container in the sink and went off, thinking whoever took the couch also ate his food. How rude.
“Okay, that’s my cue to get going,” I said to Raine. She was leaning against me as we stood in the kitchen. We both watched as Jace paced while he was on the phone. Avro was off cleaning every inch of the house, which apparently was his way of calming down.
It was driving me crazy that I felt bad for Avro. I should be laughing and joining Wilder as we sat on it and drank a beer. I should be rejoicing that he managed to piss the guy off, but once the initial anger wore off, Avro seemed beaten down. I could see it in his eyes as clearly as I could see my own reflection in a mirror.
“I’m going to go clean,” Avro said, pulling supplies from a walk-in cupboard.
“Do you want me to help,” Raine asked.
Avro shook his head and smiled at her, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “No, I just need to do this on my own,” he said and hugged Raine before disappearing.
“I’m really worried about him,” Raine whispered. “What’s going on, Jace? I know it’s his couch, but it seems like so much more.”
Jace poked his head out of the kitchen, making sure Avro was gone before turning to face us. He crossed his arms over his chest and rubbed his bottom lip with his thumb.
“Avro has some control issues if you haven’t picked up on it. It comes out in mostly harmless ways, but it started after what happened to him. I’ve been able to help him through most things, but it got really bad again after his accident, and he refuses to talk about it,” Jace said. “He saved for months to get that set and was so proud of it, but it’s not just the couch. This made him feel violated.” Jace shook his head.
“So, not to be the asshole in the room, but why don’t you just buy him a new one? I’m sure you have the money,” I said, earning myself a punch in the arm and a hard glare from Raine. Man, she had hard little fists.
“What? It’s a good question. He’s a rock star, for fucks sake.”
“I could, but Avro won’t let me. I haven’t spent a dime on this house except for my music room. I refused to let him buy anything in there and had a huge fight about that. He wants to do shit on his own. He hates leaning on me, especially financially. I could buy him the whole fucking block if he wanted it. I could build a custom home, but nope. Anyway, I’m going to call the cops. This is the weirdest fucking break-in.”
Jace paced the living room as he spoke to whoever picked up at a police station. I’d never called one to find out. We hadn’t seen Avro since, and I felt like an asshole, even though I had nothing to do with the couch caper.
I wasn’t worried for Wilder, anyone that could carry a freaking couch out by himself without making a noise or leaving a scratch didn’t need it, but I had no interest in being interviewed by cops and my name popping up in the parole board system. That was a no-go for me.
“I don’t understand this. It’s crazy,” Raine said, shaking her head as she turned to face me. “This place was supposed to be the safer option.”
Leaning down, I whispered in her ear. “Wilder showed up last night, but I swear I didn’t know he would take the couch.”
When I stood straight, her mouth was hanging open, her eyes wide in obvious disbelief. “What the fuck? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“How do I explain Wilder? My possibly unstable and delusional neighbor broke in to make sure I was okay because he was worried about me. He then randomly decided to steal a couch when I went back to bed. Oh, and he’s like ex-military, ghost-level shit and already had your house code. But don’t worry, he’s harmless and thinks he’s protecting me or maybe all of us.”
“Yeah, okay, aliens seem more plausible.”
“Thank you, but…I’ll talk to him and see if I can get him to return it.” I pinched the bridge of my nose, already picturing how that conversation would go.
“No, don’t. That would just add another layer to the violated feeling Jace mentioned. I understand the need to feel safe and in control. I still check my locks multiple times a night when I’m at home. I barely slept, and I’d find a place to hide on really bad nights. I know it probably all sounds stupid to you,” Raine said.
I cupped her face and forced her to look at me. “No, I don’t think it’s stupid,” I said and then brushed her lips with mine, loving that she opened up and moaned softly.
Breaking the kiss, I laid my forehead against hers. “You think that if he knows it wasn’t some random joke and ‘whoever it was’ can get back in, it will make the insecure feeling worse.”
“Yes, exactly. I’ll take him furniture shopping, make a day of it. I know his favorite lunch spot, and there is a sale at one of the stores he likes. I’m just going to spend the day with him.”
I nodded in agreement, but I was still talking to Wilder. I had no idea how to get him to understand boundaries, but I obviously needed to make that happen.
“I have a few things that I need to get done today, and I don’t know when I’ll be finished, but I’ll call,” I said, grabbing my leather jacket off the kitchen chair and shrugging it on.
“Is that code for I’m going to be killing people today,” Raine asked.
“Who says I would do that? Okay, maybe once or twice.” I smirked before I sobered and walked back to where I’d left Raine standing. I couldn’t tell if she was okay with what I did or not. It wasn’t a conversation I ever planned on having with someone. “Are we okay? Are you good with what I do?”
My heart rate picked up as I waited for her to respond. What the hell was I going to do if she said no? Would I force her to be okay with it? Would I quit the MC? Shit…
“Am I okay with you breaking kneecaps and killing people?” She put her hands on her hips and stared at the floor as she nibbled her lip. I knew that look and held perfectly still as she thought.
“Honestly, Kai, I don’t know how to feel. It’s not like I know much about the inner workings of an MC. Like how do you choose who to go after? Is it you that chooses or someone else that chooses them?” She rubbed at her eyes and sighed. “I don’t want to know anything about any of it and don’t tell me when you’re going because I’ll worry myself sick. I want a backup number for someone you trust that I can call if you don’t come home. Shit, I need to think about it more. It’s not as if I woke up one day thinking this would be an issue and I should have a plan for how I would feel or react.”
“That’s fair,” I said, but I was worrying now.
I didn’t want to be like my father or force Raine to live as my mother had. She hated what my father did, and his cheating ate her alive. I watched it with my own eyes, and yet we were trapped. You don’t just walk away from an MC. I understood that now, but he could’ve done things to make them better, and he chose not to. That wouldn’t be me.
Other guys in the club had great home lives and still worked with the MC. That was what I needed to figure out how to do. Cause I wasn’t letting Raine go, that wasn’t even an option in my mind, but I wasn’t cut out to work a nine-to-five in an office either.
I wrapped my hand around the back of her neck and drew her in close to my body. Raine’s hands slipped around my waist and held me tight, instantly calming the storm that constantly raged in my body.
The scent of her body wash and shampoo drew me in, and I laid my lips against her forehead and closed my eyes. I took a deep breath and let her smell wash over me. The world disappeared when she touched me.
“I can’t let you go, Tink,” I whispered. “Not ever again, and that should scare you because it scares me. It terrifies me what I will do to keep you.” She shivered in my arms, but instead of stepping away like a sane person, she hugged me tighter. Maybe we were both a little unhinged.
The anger simmering under the surface of my skin was ready to lash out at anyone or anything that tried to tear us apart. It didn’t matter who it was. I’d rip their beating heart from their chest if they dared to come between us.
But what did you do when that person was yourself?
Kaivan
“That was fast,” I mumbled as I stared at the number calling on my phone. “Mutt, what do you have?”
“So, just to be clear, we’re even once I give you this info. Right?” Mutt said, and I wanted to punch him through the phone. He really was a weasel. It was appropriate that he was in the Weasel Legionnaires.
“Yes, we’ll be even until your club fucks up again and thinks they are sharks in a pond when they’re really only guppies. Just remember that it will be my face, you see. If you and that MC of yours crosses us again,” I growled into the phone.
“We’re not, I promise.” Mutt’s voice was shaky coming through the line.
“Good, now give me the info.”
“I couldn’t find anything on the Dave Collins guy you mentioned, but I found an address that will interest you. That Father Frank guy is a real nutjob. He started as a motivational speaker for men looking to improve their self-esteem, but it became much bigger. He is at full-blown cult status now, but no one knows where the compound is because either you never see the men that join again, or you do, and they are so brainwashed that they never give up its location.”
Great, more good news. “How is this information helpful, Mutt? You mentioned an address.”
“Hang on. I’m getting to that.” I rolled my eyes.
I looked over to where Roach was freaking out. His angry tone carried on the breeze as he stomped around like a child having a tantrum. I couldn’t hear what he and Wilder were saying, but only one topic made Roach that angry…Lane. Hopefully, Wilder wasn’t sharing her showering habits, that would send Roach over the cliff.
There was a rattling paper on the other end of the line. “You have a pen?”
“Yeah, go ahead,” I said, not bothering to write it down. Memorizing random crap was my specialty.
“It’s 555 Catalina Court.”
“So, what’s this address?”
“When the guy decides to interview the men, he takes them to that house,” Mutt said.
“How do you know this? You better not be playing with me, Mutt. I fucking swear, I don’t want to have to kill you over this shit.”
“Nooo, I promise. The info is legit. I know a couple of guys that, before they joined the club, had interviewed, thinking it was going to be this self-help workshop, but they were taken to this crappy house and videotaped as they answered questions for hours. They decided they didn’t want anything to do with his crazy ass, but a lot of others love him.”
“What does he want? Power, money…control of the world. What’s driving this guy?” I said it out loud but more to myself.
“I don’t know, but I do have one more piece of info that is fucked and going to blow your mind. Frank’s real name is Francois Hanson, and he has a twin brother. Now get this, the brother was a fucking FBI agent and a serial killer called the Chameleon. He’s got an undisclosed number of kills to his name and was like the FBI’s most wanted. That right there is some fucked up shit. One brother is a cult leader, and the other a serial killer.”
